Jozan school director’s wife sentenced to life over killing of 5-year old twin

SOROTI, Uganda — The wife of Jozan Nursery and Primary School director has been sentenced to life imprisonment over the murder of five-year-old pupil Joan Faith Apio, after the High Court in Soroti found three members of the school director’s family guilty of the killing.
Ariokot Susan Vivian Okedi received the life sentence on Thursday, while her husband, Okedi Joseph, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and his brother, Obotol John Bosco, to 45 years.
The sentences were handed down by Resident Judge Justice Boniface Wamala following the conclusion of the murder trial.
The case arose from the death of Apio on February 5, 2025, just two days after she and her twin sister had been taken to Jozan Nursery and Primary School.
Their mother had taken the two girls to the school on February 3 and entrusted them to the school administration. She maintained contact with the school on February 3 and 4 and was assured that the twins were well.
On February 5, however, the school informed her that Apio had fallen ill and had been taken to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
When she arrived at the hospital, she found her daughter already dead.
The circumstances surrounding the death led to a police investigation and the subsequent arrest of the school director, his wife and his brother.
Obotol, who was also implicated in the case, was a police officer attached to the Crime Intelligence Department at Soroti East Division.
Two juveniles were arrested as investigations continued. At the beginning of the trial, their charges were amended to accessory to the fact of murder.
The juveniles were later convicted and sentenced to one year, five months and 28 days in prison. They subsequently testified for the prosecution against the three adult accused persons.
The prosecution was led by Assistant DPP Soroti Gladys Macrina Nyanzi.
Medical evidence presented before court showed that Apio suffered multiple severe injuries to her neck.
A post-mortem examination found three incisional wounds, running from the left side of the neck towards the right.
The wounds completely severed the child’s trachea, oesophagus and blood vessels, while the thyroid bone was fractured.
The examination concluded that Apio 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.
During the trial, the court also heard evidence about the motive behind the killing.
It was established during the proceedings that Apio’s being a twin was linked to the reason for her death, with evidence indicating that she was killed for blessings.
The prosecution’s evidence, including the testimony of the juveniles and the post-mortem findings, contributed to the conviction of the three adults.
Justice Wamala subsequently handed down the sentences, with Ariokot receiving life imprisonment, Okedi 35 years and Obotol 45 years.
The case has highlighted the circumstances surrounding the death of a young child who had been placed in the care of a school together with her twin sister.
Apio had spent only two days at Jozan Nursery and Primary School before her mother was told that she had fallen ill and been taken to hospital.
Instead, the mother arrived at the hospital to find her five-year-old daughter dead.
The High Court’s sentencing of the three adults marks the latest chapter in a case that began with the death of the young pupil and culminated in convictions against three members of the same family.