Inside Story!! How Ggaba School’s Killer Murdered His Step Mother And Ran To USA , Returned And Killed 4 Kids

New details have emerged about the troubled past and calculated actions of Christopher Okello Onyum, the 39-year-old man accused of orchestrating a deadly attack on toddlers at a daycare center in Kampala, in a case that has sent shockwaves across the country.

Onyum, described by those who knew him as estranged and deeply conflicted, forced his way onto the premises of Gaba Early Childhood Day Care Centre in Makindye Division on Thursday, culminating in the killing of four children aged between 18 months and two-and-a-half years.

According to reporting by Weekend Vision, Onyum had a history marked by violence and instability, including sharp disagreements with close family members such as his father, Asuman Onyum, a retired accountant based in Bunga.

In 2017, Onyum was arrested and detained at Kwania Police Station in the Lango sub-region after killing his stepmother, one of his father’s wives. At the time, preliminary police investigations linked his actions to a mental disorder believed to have been induced by complications related to sickle cell disease.

However, questions persist over how he was later released and able to travel abroad. There are no clear official records explaining the circumstances under which Onyum left Uganda and relocated to Northern Virginia in the United States, where he reportedly lived with siblings and secured employment as a caregiver in an elderly care facility.

Despite that earlier diagnosis, investigators are now casting doubt on mental illness as a primary explanation for Thursday’s killings. Evidence suggests a level of planning inconsistent with a spontaneous act.

Authorities say Onyum had visited the Gaba daycare center multiple times in the days leading up to the attack, often seen at a nearby internet café. Investigators believe these visits were part of a deliberate effort to study the environment and plan his actions.

On the day of the incident, Onyum reportedly traveled by taxi from a rented apartment in Kyanja. Along the way, he stopped at the Old Taxi Park in central Kampala, where he purchased three sharp knives later used in the attack.

The victims — Ryan Odeke, Keisha Otim, Gideon Oteko, and Ignatius Sseruyange — were all toddlers enrolled at the center. Authorities confirmed that all four children succumbed to their injuries.

In what investigators describe as further evidence of premeditation, Onyum had earlier visited the daycare under the pretense of enrolling a child. He paid Shs180,000 as partial school fees, claiming he would soon bring the child for admission. He also arrived at the school carrying two new heavy-duty padlocks, which he allegedly used to secure both the main entrance and an access point to the administration block during the attack.

“All this preparatory work points to a well thought out motive as opposed to being mere random acts,” one investigator familiar with the case said.

Onyum’s return to Uganda late last year has also drawn scrutiny. In November, he reportedly came back from the United States without informing his father, who had preferred that he remain abroad with his siblings.

The two later encountered each other at the family home in Bunga, where Onyum expressed dissatisfaction with life in America and said he intended to settle in Uganda to pursue farming on family land in Nwoya District, in the Acholi sub-region.

His father reluctantly supported the plan, transporting him to Nwoya and helping establish a farm. However, within weeks, Onyum abandoned the venture without notice and returned to Kampala, where he quietly rented accommodation in Kyanja.

Investigators are also examining whether his return from the United States may have been influenced by immigration pressures, including policies associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump that targeted certain categories of migrants, although this remains unconfirmed.

As authorities continue piecing together the timeline and motive behind the attack, the case has raised broader concerns about mental health monitoring, gaps in criminal record tracking, and cross-border movement of individuals with violent histories.

The investigation remains ongoing.