SOROTI, Uganda — The wife of the director of Jozan Nursery and Primary School has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of five-year-old pupil Joan Faith Apio, while her husband and brother-in-law have received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the killing.
Ariokot Susan Vivian Okedi was handed a life sentence by the High Court in Soroti on Thursday after she was convicted of murdering the Primary One pupil.
Her husband, Okedi Joseph, the director of Jozan Nursery and Primary School, was sentenced to 35 years in prison, while his brother, Obotol John Bosco, received 45 years.
Resident Judge Justice Boniface Wamala handed down the sentences after finding the three family members guilty of Apio’s murder.
The case followed the death of Apio on February 5, 2025, after she had been taken to Jozan Nursery and Primary School with her twin sister.
The children’s mother had taken the two girls to the school on February 3 and entrusted them to the school administration.
For the following two days, she remained in contact with the school and was assured on February 3 and 4 that her daughters were doing well.
However, on February 5, the mother received a different account. She was informed that Apio had fallen ill and had been taken to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
She rushed to the hospital, only to find that her five-year-old daughter had already died.
The matter was reported to police, triggering investigations that led to the arrest of the school director, his wife and his brother.
At the time of the incident, Obotol was a police officer attached to the Crime Intelligence Department at Soroti East Division.
Two juveniles were also arrested during the investigation.
Their charges were later amended to accessory to the fact of murder. They were convicted and sentenced to one year, five months and 28 days in prison.
The juveniles subsequently testified for the prosecution against the three adult accused persons.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions for Soroti, Gladys Macrina Nyanzi, presented evidence seeking to establish the circumstances surrounding Apio’s death and the involvement of the accused persons.
Medical evidence was central to the case.
A post-mortem examination established that Apio had suffered three incisional wounds to the neck, extending from the left side towards the right.
The injuries completely severed her trachea, oesophagus and blood vessels, while the thyroid bone was also fractured.
The examination concluded that the child died from excessive bleeding caused by extensive damage to the soft tissues and blood vessels of the neck. The manner of death was recorded as homicide.
The court also heard evidence concerning the alleged motive for the killing.
During the trial, evidence indicated that Apio’s status as a twin was linked to the motive, with the prosecution alleging that she was killed for purported blessings.
After considering the evidence, Justice Wamala convicted the three adults and subsequently sentenced them to different prison terms.
Ariokot was sentenced to life imprisonment, Okedi to 35 years and Obotol to 45 years.
The convictions bring to a close a case that began with the death of a five-year-old girl who had been entrusted to a school alongside her twin sister.
Two days after arriving at Jozan Nursery and Primary School, her mother was told that Apio had fallen ill and been taken to hospital. She arrived to find her daughter dead.
The High Court has now concluded proceedings against the three adult members of the family, while the two juveniles convicted on separate charges have also served prison sentences.
