news 3 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
No Fixed Rules for Ugandan Judges Delivering Death Sentences
Legal experts confirm that Uganda lacks strict guidelines on how judges should conduct themselves when imposing death sentences, allowing for varied approaches from symbolic rituals to composed pronouncements. Recent cases highlight this flexibility amid traditions like pen-breaking that are no longer standard. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/what-judges-do-when-sentencing-a-convict-to-death-5445518
In Ugandan courtrooms, the pronouncement of a death sentence creates profound tension, marking the ultimate penalty of hanging for capital offenses. Yet, no uniform protocol dictates a judge’s demeanor during this solemn moment.
This issue gained attention after High Court Judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha sentenced Christopher Okello Onyup to death for murdering four toddlers in Ggaba. She delivered the ruling calmly, stating, ‘I hereby sentence you to suffer death in a manner authorised by law,’ without dramatic gestures.
Frank Baine, Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson, notes that myths about required rituals, like waving handkerchiefs, are unfounded. Judges handle these moments differently, with no official script in place.
Historical practices from common law traditions include breaking a pen after sentencing to symbolize the judgment’s finality, as reportedly done by Judge Albert Rugadya-Atwooki in 2011. City lawyer Caleb Alaka advocates for such ceremonies to emphasize the gravity, even suggesting symbolic pen use in the digital age, akin to biblical references.
Judiciary PRO James Ereemye dismisses pen-breaking as an outdated symbol of ‘functus officio’—the idea that a decision is final and unchangeable—deeming it irrelevant today.
Uganda maintains the death penalty for serious crimes, with 93 inmates on death row at Luzira Prison. Executions last occurred in 1999, but judges retain discretion in how they convey this irreversible verdict.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)