Soroti High Court Convicts Four in Jozan Murder Case, Acquits Two

What the report says

The High Court in Soroti has convicted four of the six people charged over the killing of five-year-old Joan Faith Apio, a Primary One pupil at Jozan Nursery and Primary School in Soroti City, according to Nile Post. The court acquitted the school cook, Valentin Opio, and the school matron, Osula Adong, saying the prosecution had not shown enough evidence to link them to the murder.

Those found guilty were the school’s former directors, Joseph Okedi and Suzan Vivian Ariokot, headteacher James Edoket, and Detective Corporal John Bosco Obotol. The case has drawn wide attention in the Teso region because of the child’s age and the setting of the alleged crime. Nile Post reported that Apio was found dead in a toilet at the school on February 5, 2025.

Justice Boniface Wamala adjourned the matter to allow formal sentencing of the four convicted people. The article said court assessors had already given their opinions earlier in the week, and the trial was completed after about two and a half weeks of hearings during a special High Court session in Soroti.

The outcome is significant for the family, the school community and residents who have followed the case closely. More broadly, it reflects the criminal court process in a high-profile murder trial, where convictions and acquittals can differ depending on the evidence presented against each accused person.