SOROTI, Uganda — The High Court in Soroti has convicted three family members over the murder of five-year-old Joan Faith Apio, a Primary One pupil whose death at Jozan Nursery and Primary School in Soroti City drew widespread attention.
The convicted persons are school directors Suzan Vivian Ariokot and her husband, Joseph Okedi, and Okedi’s younger brother, Police Detective Corporal John Bosco Obotol.
Justice Boniface Wamala, delivering the judgment on Thursday, August 20, 2026, found that the prosecution had established that the three shared a common intention to murder Apio.
The court heard that Apio was killed on February 5, 2025, and that her body was later discovered in a toilet at the school.
The prosecution presented evidence from witnesses, forensic examinations and postmortem findings. The court also relied on testimony from juvenile witnesses who had initially been charged in connection with the killing.
The juveniles later pleaded guilty and were pardoned by the court. They subsequently became prosecution witnesses and gave evidence concerning events surrounding Apio’s death.
One of the juvenile witnesses told court that Ariokot instructed her to bring Apio to the toilet. The witness later discovered the child with a serious injury.
The court also considered evidence concerning Obotol’s presence near the school around the time of the incident.
Justice Wamala found that Okedi had procured the weapon used in the killing and later took steps aimed at covering up the offence.
The judge said the combined evidence established the participation of Ariokot, Okedi and Obotol and was sufficient to sustain their convictions.
However, the court acquitted three other people who had been charged in the case after finding that the prosecution had not sufficiently proved their involvement.
They are former school headteacher James Edoket, school matron Osula Adongo and school cook Valentine Opio.
The case has been closely followed in Soroti and the wider Teso sub-region since Apio’s death.
The murder also triggered public anger, with residents protesting over delays in the case. In March 2025, parts of Jozan Nursery and Primary School were reportedly set on fire during the protests.
Throughout the trial, the defence challenged aspects of the prosecution evidence. Ariokot, for example, maintained that she was not at the school when Apio was killed and sought CCTV footage from Pride Bank to support her account.
The defence also sought CCTV recordings from Soroti Regional Referral Hospital. However, the availability of the footage became an issue during the proceedings.
Despite the defence challenges, the court ultimately found the evidence against Ariokot, Okedi and Obotol sufficient for conviction.
The three were expected to return to court later on Thursday for sentencing.
The judgment marks a major development in a case that has remained before the High Court for more than a year and has attracted significant public interest because of the young age of the victim and the circumstances surrounding her death.
