The Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese, Paul Ssemogerere, has condemned the deadly attack at a daycare centre in Kampala that left four young children dead.
Speaking during the Easter Mass held at Lubaga Cathedral in Kampala on Sunday, Archbishop Ssemogerere reminded the faithful of the mortality of life.
“We should live our lives knowing that we are mortal; one day we shall stand before God and be judged, yet atrocities are on the rise. We recently lost four children in Ggaba who were killed mercilessly,” he said.
“The innocent children did not know they were going to die; you can imagine the killer may even have shown them the knife, but they had no power to fight back because they blindly trusted the killer. The suspects name is Christopher, similar to Christ. Such actions which are against our culture, religion and tradition must stop.”
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday at Ggaba Early Childhood Day Care Centre in Makindye Division. Police say a man, later identified as Christopher Okello Anyu, gained access to the school premises by posing as a parent seeking to enrol a child.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, SP Racheal Kawala, the suspect initially approached the school administration and inquired about the fees structure. He was given a circular and reportedly asked to return at a later time.
“Preliminary findings indicate the suspect came to this place seeking admission and was told to return to the school today. He paid for admission before proceeding to stab the children,” SP Kawala said.
After leaving the office, the suspect reportedly entered a classroom with 14 pupils and launched the attack, fatally injuring four children.
The deceased have been identified as Ryan Odeke, aged one and a half years, Gideon Eteko, aged two and a half years, Keisha Elungat, aged two, and Ignatius Sseruyange, aged two.
Archbishop Ssemogerere also condemned acts of corruption, adding that during the just-concluded election period, many political actors and ordinary citizens were beaten up, tear-gassed, injured, or arrested. He urged the government to either release political prisoners or take them to court to pay for their crimes.
“We have long sang about corruption in this country. I don’t know which prayer we are going to pray which will help us overcome it. But it affects us all and must act accordingly to fight it. If you continue being corrupt, it will lead to death just as Judas,” he said.
Archbishop Ssemogerere also condoled with the family of the late former Kikuube District LC V Chairperson Peter Banura Araali, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident on Saturday evening, urging Ugandans to refrain from acts such as drunk driving, overspeeding, and the like, warning that these lead to unnecessary and premature deaths. He further condemned leaders who claim that God has called people after such incidents.
