By Robert Segawa and Kabuye Ronald
A man posing as a parent carried out a brutal machete attack at a nursery school in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, killing four children, one girl and three boys, shocking a city unaccustomed to such violence.
According to police, the suspect Christopher Okello gained entry to the Gaba Early Childhood Development Program by disguising himself as a parent. He initially entered the school offices, briefly interacting with the administrator on duty before stepping outside. Authorities say he then locked the school gate, trapping those inside, and launched the attack on the children.
In a statement, police confirmed that the assailant “brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles” during the incident.
The violence sparked panic and outrage among parents and residents. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as some parents arrived to find the school surrounded by police, with others weeping uncontrollably. An angry crowd quickly gathered, with some attempting to take justice into their own hands. Police fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd and prevent the suspect from being lynched.
The attacker was later taken into custody at Kabalagala police station, Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said. Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the attack.
Crime scene investigators remain at the school, and officials say more details will be released as the investigation continues. Uganda’s police chief, Abas Byakagaba, along with other senior officers, visited the scene and received briefings on the incident.
Earlier, Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba visited the crime scene to offer condolences to the family that lost their loved ones.
Byakagaba stated that police have not yet established the motive behind the killing of the four children, but investigations are ongoing.
“We urge members of the public to remain calm as police conduct investigations,” said Abas Byakagaba, the Inspector General of Police.
Scene of crime officers, together with a team of homicide detectives, cordoned off the area and recorded statements from eyewitnesses to support the investigations.
The class had 14 pupils; 10 of them were handed over to their parents, while the bodies of the deceased were transported to Mulago City Mortuary for postmortem examination.
During the process of removing the suspect from the scene, angry residents burned car tires in the middle of the road, while others hurled stones with the intention of lynching him. This forced police to fire live bullets to disperse the crowd. The suspect was then taken to Katwe Police Station, where he is currently detained.
Such attacks on children are extremely rare in Kampala, a city of approximately three million people, leaving the community shaken and searching for answers.
