Uganda Prisons Confirms Okello Onyum Will Be Hanged – Narrates How Process Will Be Done

Uganda’s prison authorities have said they are prepared to carry out an execution within days if a death warrant is signed for convicted killer Christopher Okello Onyum, following a recent High Court ruling that sentenced him to death.

Commissioner General of the Uganda Prisons Service, Dr Johnson Byabashaija, stated that the agency has the capacity to implement the sentence and dismissed concerns about readiness or manpower.

“Once the warrant is out, the subject will be executed within 72 hrs,” Byabashaija said, adding: “No worries.”

The comments come after a landmark judgment delivered on Thursday, April 30, 2026, by Justice Alice Komuhangi Khauka of the High Court. The court convicted Christopher Okello Onyum of murdering four children at a daycare centre in Ggaba, located in Kampala’s Makindye Division, and imposed the death penalty.

Under Ugandan law, Okello has 14 days from the date of sentencing to file an appeal. If he does not challenge the conviction and sentence within that period, the state may proceed with execution procedures, subject to the signing of a death warrant by Yoweri Museveni.

The case has reignited public debate over capital punishment in Uganda, particularly given that no civilian execution has been carried out since 1999. Questions have surfaced on social media about whether the country still maintains an executioner, commonly referred to as a hangman, and how such a role has been sustained over nearly three decades of inactivity.

Responding to queries online, Byabashaija clarified that not all prison officers are trained to conduct executions. “No, not at all,” he said when asked whether hanging is part of standard prison officer training.

He also declined to elaborate on whether the Uganda Prisons Service would recruit or appoint a hangman if required, instead downplaying the concern. Byabashaija suggested that the operational details should not be a source of public anxiety, reiterating the institution’s readiness to act once legal and executive processes are complete.

Okello, currently an inmate at Luzira Prison, now faces a critical window to appeal. If he does not, and if the presidential warrant is issued, he could become the first civilian to be executed in Uganda in 27 years.

The High Court ruling, which found him guilty of killing four toddlers, has drawn widespread attention and emotional reactions, placing renewed focus on the country’s use of the death penalty and the mechanisms surrounding its enforcement.