A Ugandan-American man has admitted to stabbing four young children to death at a kindergarten in Uganda, prosecutors said Wednesday, claiming he believed the killings would make him wealthy through human sacrifice.
Christopher Okello Onyum, 39, appeared in court as charges were formally read. He is believed to have gained access to the kindergarten by posing as a parent before attacking the children with a knife, killing four victims aged between 15 months and two-and-a-half years.
The incident sparked national outrage, with a crowd attempting to lynch Onyum before his arrest. The indictment noted that Onyum “recorded a charge and caution statement wherein he confessed to killing all the deceased children.” A medical assessment found his thought processes “normal,” though he explained the killings as a method of “fortune hunting or enrichment.”
The kindergarten served “malnourished and vulnerable children” aged three months to three years. Prosecutors stated that evidence will show the attack was “carefully planned over several days” and described it as a “violent and sustained attack” on the facility. Onyum has been deemed mentally fit to stand trial.
Uganda’s army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, has called for the death sentence for Onyum. He remains in custody, with no trial date set.
