KAMPALA, UGANDA – The violent murder of minors at Ggaba Early Childhood Day Care in Kampala has raised urgent questions about security at early learning centers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The incident occurred on Thursday, April 2nd, 2026, when Okello Christopher Onyum, 39, attacked the school and killed four children aged between 2 and 3 years old.
The four toddlers, who were fatally stabbed, were identified as Eteku Gideon (2), Kaise Alungat (2), Ignatius Sserwange (3), and Ryan Odeke (2), whom neighbors described as joyful souls full of promise.
The attacker, Okello Christopher Onyum, who was apprehended at the scene by responding officers, is currently in police custody as investigations continue.
What has emerged in the hours since the attack is a complex and troubling portrait of a man who had recently returned to Uganda after two decades in the United States.
A Baffling Return to Uganda
According to a detailed police statement, Onyum had lived in the U.S. for approximately 20 years, having been taken there as a young man by his parents to live with siblings. He returned to Uganda in November 2025, initially residing at his parents’ home in the Bunga district of Kampala.
Family members told investigators that Onyum expressed a desire to take up farming, leading him to relocate to his ancestral home in Nyoya District.
His parents provided him with land to begin a new life but soon returned to Kampala, renting an apartment in Kyanja roughly two weeks before the attack.
Police sources note a peculiar detail: before his parents could formally approve his return, Onyum allegedly sneaked back into Uganda without their knowledge.
He briefly stayed in a Bunga apartment reportedly funded by an embassy. When he finally visited his parents, they were shocked to see him but drove him to Nyoya for farming after he explained his plans.
The police state that the suspect Onyum first visited the Ggaba Early Childhood Day Care on Tuesday under the guise of inquiring about admission for a child.
On Thursday, the day of the attack, he reportedly paid Shs180,000 via mobile money and purchased two large padlocks, then returned to the school, pretending to complete the admission process.
He used this return to the school to carry out the brutal stabbing of the four children and was immediately apprehended by the police.
Tragically, authorities’ discoveries have revealed allegations that Onyum may have been involved in the killing of his stepbrother in 2017 under similar circumstances. No arrest was made at that time, but police have confirmed they are revisiting the cold case as part of their current investigation.
The situation in the community remained somber Thursday, as grief-stricken parents and residents gathered near the daycare, many weeping openly and demanding answers.
Local officials have called for an immediate security audit of all nursery schools in the capital, noting that the victims were babies who could not run or defend themselves, leaving the community heartbroken.
As police investigate both the daycare massacre and prior violence allegations, Uganda mourns four young children taken on an ordinary morning of crayons, toys, and laughter.
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