Uganda Law Society Demands Conventional Court for Ggaba Toddler Murder Trial, Citing Fair Hearing Risks

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has called on Chief Justice Flavian Zeija to abandon plans for a mobile court at the Ggaba crime scene in the trial of Christopher Okello Onyum, accused of murdering four toddlers on April 2, 2026.

ULS representatives, including central figure Alexander Lule and president Isaac Ssemakadde, argue that staging the proceedings at the incident site with live cameras, large crowds, and public screens prejudices the accused and erodes judicial independence.

“A mobile court summoned by presidential command, mourners, and media cannot deliver impartial justice,” the lawyers stated, highlighting risks to Article 28 of the Constitution, which ensures a fair hearing before an independent tribunal.

Lule warned that responding to public fury with exceptional measures could normalize bypassing constitutional protections, turning trials into state-orchestrated spectacles rather than solemn processes.

Ssemakadde labeled the setup ‘judicial lynching disguised as public participation,’ referencing the 2026 Mobile Courts Directions and past rulings like the 2002 Constitutional Court decision against biased military proceedings.

The society emphasized that victims’ families deserve proper justice, not emotionally driven or hurried outcomes influenced by executive directives and community pressure, which they say already undermine the presumption of innocence protected by national and international law.

Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo confirmed President Museveni’s instructions for the expedited community-based trial to let residents witness justice locally.

This story is based on a report from the Daily Monitor: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/rule-of-law-must-be-followed-in-ggaba-murder-trial-law-society-5421336.