In Uganda, a man was sentenced to death for killing four children at a kindergarten
In Uganda, a court has sentenced a man to death for killing four children at a kindergarten in the capital, Kampala. The convicted man was executed by hanging.
This was reported by the BBC.
The incident occurred on April 2, when 38-year-old Christopher Okello Onyum entered the “Ggaba” kindergarten and fatally stabbed four toddlers: Eteka Gideon, Keisha Agenlrot, Seruyange Ignatius, and Odeke Ryan. The children were between one and two years old.
Although the death penalty has not been formally abolished in Uganda, it is rarely carried out—the last such sentence was executed in 2005.
The defendant, who holds both U.S. and Ugandan citizenship, has 14 days to appeal the court’s decision.
During the hearings, prosecutors stated that Onyum had pleaded guilty and described his act as a “human sacrifice,” which, in his view, was supposed to bring him wealth.
He later changed his position and began claiming he was innocent, denying criminal intent. He also stated that at the time of the attack, he was suffering from a mental illness and was unable to comprehend his actions.
However, the court reached the opposite conclusion. In handing down the sentence, Judge Alice Komuhangi Hauka stated that the defendant was “of sound mind” at the time of the crime.
“I hereby sentence him to death. He attacked them while they were defenseless and killed them like animals… without feeling any fear, shame, or respect for their human lives,” she said, after which cheers rang out in the courtroom.
The judge also emphasized that she had taken into account the defendant’s lack of remorse, particularly his failure to apologize to the families of the deceased children.
Separately, it is reported that in Tunisia, a man was also sentenced to death on charges of insulting the president and threatening national security due to posts on social media.
Earlier in Iran, Amir-Ali Mirjafari was executed; authorities had identified him as one of the organizers of the protests. He was also accused of setting a mosque on fire and allegedly collaborating with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Independent Iranian media outlets claim that some of his confessions may have been made under pressure and torture.
In 2025, at least 1,639 people were executed in Iran, the highest number since 1989.
