KAMPALA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's High Court in Kampala on Thursday sentenced a man to death for fatally stabbing four toddlers in a daycare center.
Christopher Okello Onyum was convicted after an expedited trial held near the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Center, where the April 2 killings occurred.
Justice Alice Komuhangi stressed the gravity of the crime, noting that the law allows for the ultimate penalty in the most egregious cases.
The judge noted that Uganda's sentencing guidelines set a baseline of 35 years' imprisonment for murder, subject to adjustment based on aggravating and mitigating factors. However, she ruled that the extreme brutality of the attack and the victims' vulnerability warranted the harshest penalty.
The court found Okello guilty on all counts, including multiple charges of murder.
Komuhangi rejected any justification for taking life based on emotion or personal motives, adding that the ruling also aims to uphold the rule of law and deter similar crimes.
According to police, Okello gained entry to the daycare by posing as a parent seeking placement for a child. Once inside, he carried out a knife attack before fleeing. Security personnel later fired warning shots to disperse an angry crowd attempting to lynch him.
Authorities described the incident as the first recorded stabbing attack at a school in Uganda, raising fresh concerns over security in early childhood schools. ■
