Uganda Court Hands Death Sentence to Man Over Nursery School Killings

A court in Kampala, Uganda, has sentenced a man to death after he was found guilty of killing four young children in a brutal attack at a nursery school earlier in April.

The convict, Christopher Okello Onyum, was accused of fatally stabbing the children, who were between one and three years old. According to court findings, he gained access to the school by pretending to be a parent before locking the gate and carrying out the attack within minutes.

Authorities said an angry group of parents attempted to attack him after the incident, but he was stopped by a security guard and later taken into custody.

During the trial, evidence showed that Onyum had searched for nearby schools and violent content online prior to the attack, suggesting it was carefully planned. The court dismissed his defense that he was mentally unstable, with the judge ruling that the nature of the attack demonstrated clear intent and premeditation.

The judge also noted that the convicted man showed no remorse and did not apologize to the victims’ families.

A staff member who testified described the horrifying scene, saying she found one of the children severely injured and tried to intervene, but was threatened by the attacker before managing to escape.

Although Uganda retains the death penalty under its laws, executions are rarely carried out, with none reported in more than two decades.

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