Man posing as parent stabs four children to death in Kampala daycare
A parent reacts outside a school after a man posing as a parent stabbed and killed children there, in Kampala, Uganda, April 2, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Eyewitnesses say the suspect disguised himself as a parent and first entered the school offices, where he briefly engaged the administrator in charge.
Shock has gripped residents of Ggaba, an upscale suburb of Kampala, after a man masquerading as a parent gained access to a daycare centre and knifed four to death.
Some of the residents who spoke to this publication said the assailant, whom police later identified as Christopher Okello Onyu, 34, gained access to Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program School and attacked the children under unclear circumstances.
The suspected Kampala daycare assailant, Christopher Okello, bundled into a police pickup truck after he was arrested. Photo/ Courtesy
Police are yet to establish the motive of the attack.
"We confirm a tragic incident at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program School, in Makindye Division Kampala City, where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles. The suspect has been apprehended, and the motive behind the killings is still under investigation," Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, Rachael Kawala, said in a statement on X on Thursday, April 2.
Ugandan forensic officers carry the body of a child after a man posing as a parent stabbed and killed children at a school in Kampala, Uganda, April 2, 2026.
Eyewitnesses said Okello disguised himself as a parent and first entered the school offices, where he briefly engaged the administrator in charge.
He later stepped outside, locked the gate, and began attacking children one after another, leaving four dead.
Teachers quickly raised the alarm, prompting the suspect to attempt an escape. However, he was apprehended by a security guard from the nearby Ggaba Community Church.
Moments later, angry residents flooded the area, attempting to lynch the suspect. Police intervened, rescued him, and bundled him onto a police pickup truck.
Security personnel, including police and army officers, were forced to fire warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
Parents gather outside a school after a man posing as a parent stabbed and killed children there, in Kampala, Uganda, April 2, 2026.
The area chairperson, Ben Kakooza, has strongly condemned the incident and urged police to conduct swift investigations.
By the time of filing this story, distressed parents had started arriving at the scene, anxious to know the fate of their children.
However, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abas Byakagaba, who rushed to the scene moments after receiving reports of the attack, called for calm as security operatives conducted investigations.
"We call upon anyone with information about the suspect to give to police to aid in investigations," Mr Byakagaba said as he addressed journalists at the scene.
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Written by Benjamin Jumbe and Michael Louboyera Musaasizi
