Uganda court sentences man to death for killing four children at nursery

A Ugandan court has sentenced a man to death for killing four children at a nursery school, in the capital, Kampala, earlier this month.

Christopher Okello Onyum was found guilty of fatally stabbing the children — aged between one and three years old — on April 2.

He posed as a parent to gain entry to the nursery school, then locked the gate and carried out the attack in less than seven minutes.

An angry crowd of parents attempted to lynch him before a security guard subdued him, police said.

The court heard Onyum had searched “schools near me” and “ISIS beheadings” on his mobile phone and laptop in advance of the killings, which the judge said indicated clear preparation for the attack.

The court rejected his claim that he was suffering from insanity at the time, with the judge saying the “accurate and precise manner” of the killings demonstrated they were premeditated, adding that the children were slaughtered “like animals”.

Onyum did not apologise to the parents, which the judge said showed he was devoid of remorse.

A staff member at the nursery told the court she discovered one of the children in a “pool of blood” and said Onyum attempted to attack her when she confronted him.

“He got up and had a knife in his hand. He was so quick that he immediately grabbed another child.

“I picked up one of the children’s bicycles and threw it at him.

“When I threw the bicycle, he let go of the child and started chasing me. I ran, but later fell. When I got up, I realised he had cut the second child,” she said.

Capital punishment is legal in Uganda but rare, with the last execution carried out more than 20 years ago.