39 year old Christopher Okello Onyum, the man accused in the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Day Care Center of slaughtering four toddlers in cold blood, will be tried in open court this week.
According to a statement by Balaam Barugahare, the State Minister of Youth and Children Affairs, in response to public demand, the proceedings will be held in open court, starting today at Ggaba Community School Grounds.
Okello will be one of the first civilians to stand trial in an open civil court. While this is rare in the civilian justice system, it is a common practice in military justice, where court martial sessions are sometimes held in communities.
His trial follows a recent presidential recommendation to the judiciary to fast-track the case, with sessions conducted at the crime scene so the community can witness justice being served.
This will be done under the recently introduced mobile court framework which allows judicial officers to conduct proceedings outside conventional court premises.
According to the minister’s statement, seating within the court area will be limited to 1,000 people and open to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis.
By URN
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