Kampala — A Ugandan court has sentenced a man to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering four toddlers at a nursery school in the capital earlier this month.
The High Court convicted Christopher Okello Onyum, 38, over the fatal stabbing of four children at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program on April 2.
The victims — Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenorwoth, Sseruyange Ignatius, and Odeke Ryan — were all aged between one and two years old.
According to prosecutors, Onyum entered the daycare facility armed with a kitchen knife before attacking the children in what shocked communities across Uganda.
During the trial, the prosecution told the court that the accused had initially confessed to carrying out the killings as a “human sacrifice” intended to make him wealthy.
However, he later changed his plea to not guilty and argued that he was mentally ill at the time of the attack and, therefore, incapable of forming criminal intent.
Delivering judgment at a temporary High Court session convened within the local community, Justice Alice Komuhangi Khauka rejected the insanity defence and ruled that Onyum was mentally sound during the killings.
“I hereby sentence him to such a death,” the judge ruled, prompting cheers from members of the public gathered in court.
Justice Khauka condemned the killings as brutal and deliberate, saying the accused had targeted the children while they were completely defenceless.
“He targeted them in their defenceless state and went ahead to slaughter them like animals… and had no fear, no shame, no consideration for human life,” she said, according to AFP.
The judge also faulted the convict for showing no remorse during the proceedings.
“I have also considered that the convict has not shown any remorse at all, because I would have at least expected an apology from him to the families of the babies,” she added.
Prosecutors presented evidence from 18 witnesses during the trial, including forensic experts, investigators, and eyewitnesses.
The case against Onyum included DNA evidence linking him to the handle of the murder weapon, CCTV footage tracing his movements before the attack, and mobile phone data placing him at the scene.
Two daycare staff members also testified that they directly witnessed the attack.
Although Uganda retains the death penalty under its laws, executions are rarely carried out. The country’s last officially recorded execution took place in 2005.
Onyum, who reportedly holds both Ugandan and American citizenship, has 14 days to appeal the sentence.
