Man storms Kampala daycare centre, stabs four toddlers to death
Police and the military deployed Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school, in Makindye Division Kampala City where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles on April 2, 2026. PHOTO/ IBRAHIM KAVUMA
What you need to know:
- Witnesses 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, Uganda, after a man masquerading as a parent gained access to a daycare centre and stabbed four children to death.
Witnesses said the assailant, whom police later identified as Christopher Okello Onyu, 34, gained access to Ggaba Early Childhood Development Programme 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.
"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.
Angry residents set a fire at the scene in protest after security operatives rescued the suspect.
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.
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, called for calm as security operatives conducts 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.
