Ggaba murder trial: Court hears details about where the accused lived

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 GGABA MURDER TRIAL 

By Joseph Kizza
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When 31-year-old Joel Makayi returns to court today (Friday) morning, this time he will be on the receiving end of questions from the defense legal team, as the trial of Christopher Okello Onyum for the murder of four toddlers enters a fourth day in Uganda's capital Kampala.

Makayi, who manages the estate where the accused currently resides in Kyanja (Nakawa division), is one of several witnesses that have been called to support the prosecution case. 

He now faces cross-examination after testifying on Thursday before the mobile High Court sitting at Ggaba Community Church in Makindye division about his encounter with the man standing trial — which he said started in March this year.

On an incident-free day, save for a morning downpour that forced the day's court session to delay, Makayi, the manager of Sanwiza Estates Limited for now seven years, told court how Okello had arrived with a broker in search of a house for rent.

A house for sh400,000 per month was available, with an initial deposit of four months' rent as the condition.

"When he agreed, I gave him our tenancy agreement. He perused it and then asked how he would pay," testified Makayi, further telling court that Okello would later deposit sh1.5m onto the bank account of the estate company and pay the sh100,000 broker's fee in cash. That was a total of sh1.6m.

"I asked him to sign the tenancy agreement, which he did. I also asked for his identification documents: he gave me his American passport and driver's license."

Once that was done, Makayi gave Okello the keys to his new place of abode and agreed that he would later take the new tenant to the village chairperson to get an LC1 tenant introduction letter as a requirement for formalizing the tenancy agreement.

Riding to the chairperson's place a few days later, the two men struck a conversation.

"He [Okello] asked me how I would direct someone to where he stays. I told him: Kyanja, Ring Road. I asked him where he had been staying before. He said he had been residing in Ggaba but that most of the time he had been living in the US," said Makayi, who was the one riding the motorcycle at the time.

They found the chairman at his home. After the introductions, the village leader asked for the details of the tenant, before handing over the LC1 tenant introduction letter to Makayi (pictured below, left).

▪️ 'He charged at me with a knife but I ducked for cover'

Makayi said Okello called him a couple of days later to ask for a copy of the tenancy agreement. After only the landlord had signed the document in his presence, the manager was supposed to then deliver a copy to the new tenant.

He had not yet done that when he received a phone call from the area defence personnel, informing him that his new tenant, Okello, had committed an offence in Ggaba. 

"He told me that he had killed children," testified Makayi.

The estate manager said he was summoned to Okello's residence with a copy of the keys, where he found the Police, the area defence and a handcuffed Okello. That was April 3, the day after the murders at Early Childhood Development Programme Centre.

Okello had reportedly lost his house key. When Makayi opened the house using his copy, the Police searched the place and recovered some items, which they later took along as exhibits.

"Do you remember any of the items taken?" the state attorney asked the witness.

"Yes. Two laptops, a flash disk, a file with papers, knives, two phones, and two American passports." In court, Makayi was shown a copy of the search certificate dated April 3, 2026 and bearing his signature. He confirmed it. 

He was then shown copies of the LC1 tenant introduction letter and the bio pages of Okello's passport and driver's license used for the tenancy agreement.

Although he confirmed knowlege of the documents, the defense team successfully managed to convince court that the witness was not competent to tender the documents as prosecution evidence.

▪️ Prosecution witness gives chilling account of fateful day

The state is working to prove to court that Okello is indeed the man who slew four toddlers at the Ggaba Early Childhood Programme Development Centre a fortnight ago on April 2.

The brutal killing of Gideon Eteku, Keisha Agenorwoth, Ignatius Sseruyange and Ryan Odeke has not only stunned the entire nation, but has also got many asking: "Why would anyone do such a thing to innocent souls?"

On the opening day of the trial on Monday this week, Okello was charged with four counts of murder at a trial brought right at the heart of the community where the killings happened. He pleaded not guilty to each charge.

Several witnesses have since been called by the state to give their testimonies, including the parents of the four young victims, two employees of the facility (a caregiver and a coordinator) as well as other people who are said to have interacted with Okello.

Besides Makayi, another is 43-year-old Paul Mukasa (pictured below), who testified that he is Okello's former landlord in Bunga, Ggaba.

▪️ Ggaba murder suspect pleads not guilty to all four counts

In his testimony, Mukasa, a vendor of shoes in Owino Market in downtown Kampala, told court on Thursday of how he first met Okello last November.

"He came at home and said he wanted a house for rent. That was in November 2025. I told him rent is for sh150,000 and electricity is for sh20,000. I told him to pay for three months.

"He told me he had money for only one month but that in a week or two, he would clear the balance. After depositing that initial amount, he then came and started staying at the house. A week later, he brought the balance in cash. I asked him whether I should give him a receipt. He said no," said Mukasa.

The witness spoke of a good-natured man who related well with his neighbours inside the eight-unit rental facility, including the resident children.

Did he ever receive visitors?

Mukasa, who routinely left for work at around midday and retired at around 4pm, said he saw Okello's mother come around three times. She would stay there briefly and then leave.

"Whenever he would come out of his room, he would emerge with a jerrican, fetch water at the tap within the compound and then return to his place."

The presiding judge, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha, asked the witness whether he ever inquired what his new tenant did for a living.

"No," came Mukasa's response.

He had told court that after Okello had cleared his rent, he had asked him to meet the LC1 chairperson to introduce himself. "He [Okello] claimed he did." Admittedly, Mukasa never followed up to ascertain the claim.

Okello left this residence in the first half of March, having lived there for a little over three months.

Meanwhile, from the very time of his arrest on April 2, Okello's physical stature of a gaunt, seemingly feeble character has been a talking point in public discussions about the ongoing trial. While some have linked his eccentric demeanour to mental instability, others have questioned his state of health.

In fact, the trial had to be prematurely adjourned on Wednesday after Okello said he had felt unwell and unable to carry on.

The following day, on Thursday, the presiding judge told the public what the officer in charge of Luzira Prison's Murchison Bay wing had revealed.

Okello has had sickle cell disease since his childhood. But he had not been taking his medication for two months prior to admission at the maximum security incarceration facility. But after being placed back on treatment, he "is now in a stable state of health and mind".

Before the start of Thursday's court session a couple of minutes after midday, the judge asked the accused to confirm this.

"Yes, I confirm I am in a stable state of mind," responded Okello.
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 MORE PICTURES FROM THURSDAY 

A morning downpour delayed the start of the court session...