Knife-wielding man storms Kampala daycare centre, kills four toddlers- police
Police and the military deployed at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school in Makindye Division, Kampala City, where a man brutally stabbed and killed four children on April 2, 2026.
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 to death four.
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.
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.
Angry residents set a fire at the daycare centre in protest after security operatives rescued the suspect.
Photo credit: Ibrahim Kavuma | Nation Media Group
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.
The suspected Kampala daycare assailant, Christopher Okello, bundled into a police pickup truck after he was arrested.
Photo credit: Pool
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 who rushed to the scene moments after receiving reports of the attack 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.
UPDATE: IGP Abbas Byakagaba has pitched camp in Ggaba and urged residents to remain calm as police investigate the incident.
