A Ugandan court has sentenced a 39-year-old to death for the brutal murder of four toddlers at a nursery school in Kampala. On April 2, Christopher
A Ugandan court has sentenced a 39-year-old to death for the brutal murder of four toddlers at a nursery school in Kampala.
On April 2, Christopher Onyum gained access to the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Programme by posing as a parent seeking admission for a child.
Once inside, he used a kitchen knife to fatally stab four children—Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenorwoth, Sseruyange Ignatius, and Odeke Ryan—all aged between 15 months and three years old.
The attack lasted less than seven minutes before a school guard subdued him, narrowly saving him from an angry mob that attempted to lynch him.
During the fast-tracked “mobile court” trial held at the scene of the crime, Judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha rejected Onyum’s defence of insanity.
Digital evidence from his phone and laptop revealed premeditated searches for “schools near me” and “ISIS beheading,” which the judge stated prepared him for the “methodical and deliberate” assault.
While Onyum—a dual citizen of Uganda and the United States—initially confessed that the killings were a ritual “human sacrifice” intended to bring him supernatural wealth, he later pleaded not guilty and showed no remorse throughout the proceedings.
The death sentence was met with cheers from residents who gathered to witness the landmark verdict.
Justice Khaukha characterised the crime as belonging to the “rarest of the rare” category, noting the extreme vulnerability of the victims and the calculated nature of the slaughter.
Although Uganda maintains the death penalty for severe crimes, this ruling is notable as the country has not executed in approximately two decades. Onyum has 14 days to appeal the sentence.
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