The trial of a Ugandan man accused of murdering four children began on Monday in a tent a short distance from where the crime took place, with the president ordering a “mobile court” session that could be watched by many locals.
Kampala, Uganda — A Ugandan man was prosecuted murder of four children It began on Monday in a tent a short distance from where the crime was committed, after the President ordered a mobile court session, which could be attended by local people.
It is the first trial of the country’s controversial mobile court sessions aimed at allowing people to hear live cases that attract widespread public interest.
The suspect, Christopher Okello Onyem, is accused of killing the children with a knife inside a nursery school in a suburb of the Ugandan capital Kampala on April 2. The motive of this incident, which has shocked many people in this East African country, is still not clear.
Onium pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder on Monday.
Eyewitnesses said the attacker disguised himself as a parent and targeted a nursery school called Gaba Early Childhood Development Programme. He is said to have briefly talked to administrators there before locking the gate and then attacking the children.
Later, the angry mob tried to thrash Oniyam to death, who was rescued and taken into custody by the police. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
President Yoweri Museveni’s order to have the case tried quickly and in the public setting of a mobile court has proven controversial, with some critics saying it threatens to sensationalize a case of obvious pain to the bereaved while interfering with justice.
The Uganda Law Society said in a statement that the presidential directive amounts to executive interference and undermines the suspect’s right to a fair trial.
“This is not justice,” the society said in a statement. “This is a judicial lynching rally.”
Hundreds of people gathered for the trial, which was being held in a large tent erected on the grounds of a church.
This is the first time that mobile courts are being put into practice after a legal notice with formal instructions for their operation was published in March.
The judiciary defended the decision, saying it highlighted its “commitment to taking justice closer to the people through innovative approaches”.
