Kampala school stabbing

Kampala school stabbing
Location	Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school, Kampala, Uganda
Date	2 April 2026
Attack type	Mass stabbing, pedicide
Weapons	Machete, knife
Deaths	4
Perpetrator	Christopher Okello Onyum
Motive	Human sacrifice to gain money

On 2 April 2026, a mass stabbing took place at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program School in Ggaba, Kampala, Uganda, killing four children. The motive for the attack is under investigation.

Stabbing

The suspect entered the school building following an agreed meeting to pay the admission fee for his child. After paying the sum to the administrator, the suspect then stepped outside, locked the gate and began the stabbing with more than one knife. Fourteen children were present in the building. The victims were identified as three boys and a girl, with ages ranging from 15 months to 2 and a half years old.

Perpetrator

Christopher Okello Onyum (born c. 1987) is a Ugandan–American man accused of committing the Ggaba daycare killings in Kampala, Uganda, in April 2026. He was charged with multiple counts of murder following the deaths of four toddlers at an early childhood development centre in Ggaba. Police investigations say he had visited the school two days before his attack, and that he was attempting to enroll his child in the school. Onyum pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder on April 13.

Aftermath

A security guard of the nearby Ggaba Community Church apprehended the suspect. Prosecutors at an earlier hearing allegedly said Onyum had confessed to the murders of the four children, which he believed that it would act as a "human sacrifice" to gain money. Locals attempted to lynch the suspect, but were prevented by local authorities who fired warning shots into the air and detained the suspect. A fire was set in protest to police actions.

Trial and sentencing

The trial of Christopher Okello Onyum commenced in early 2026 before the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda, presided over by Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha. Onyum faced four counts of murder and several counts of attempted murder related to the April 2, 2026, attack at the Early Childhood Development Programme Centre in Ggaba.

Prosecution and defense arguments

The prosecution presented forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony from daycare staff, describing the attack as a premeditated act of extreme violence against defenseless children. The state argued that the gravity of the crime—specifically the targeting of toddlers—warranted the maximum penalty under Ugandan law.

Onyum's defense team primarily relied on a plea of insanity. They argued that the 39-year-old Ugandan-born American citizen was suffering from a severe mental breakdown at the time of the killings. However, psychiatric evaluations ordered by the court concluded that Onyum was legally sane and fit to stand trial, noting that his actions showed a level of planning and awareness.

Conviction and sentencing

On April 30, 2026, Justice Khaukha delivered a judgment rejecting the insanity defense, ruling that the prosecution had proved "malice aforethought" beyond a reasonable doubt. In her sentencing remarks, Khaukha described the murders as "chilling, heartless, and an affront to the sanctity of life," noting that the vulnerability of the victims was a significant aggravating factor.

Onyum was sentenced to death by hanging for each of the four counts of murder. This marked a high-profile application of the death penalty since the Susan Kigula ruling of 2009, which rendered the sentence discretionary. Under the precedent set by Kigula & Ors v Attorney General, if Onyum is not executed within three years of exhausting his appeals, the sentence must be commuted to life imprisonment. Following the verdict, Onyum's legal team filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeal of Uganda.

See also

• List of mass stabbing incidents (2020–present)