Minister Balaam leads memorial service for Ggaba slain toddlers

Minister of State for Youth and Children’s Affairs Balaam Barugahara is this Easter Monday attending as “chief mourner,” a special memorial service this Easter Monday for the four children killed in last week’s brutal attack at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Programme in Makindye Division, 

The service is due to start at 10:00am at Gaba Community Church. Balaam announced the gathering on Sunday and said it would bring together bereaved families, faith leaders, community members and partners to mourn, pray and stand with the affected families. 

The memorial service will be led by Rev. Peter Kasirivu of Gaba Community Church, while the main celebrant is expected to be App. Dr Joseph Serwadda, according to the details shared ahead of the gathering. 

Balaam said the public was welcome to attend and described the service as a moment of shared compassion, support and commitment to the protection and well-being of children. 

The government, he said, remained “committed to supporting the affected families and strengthening safeguarding measures in early learning centres and schools.”

The service follows a tragedy that shocked the country on Thursday, April 2, 2026, when a man attacked children at the daycare centre and killed four toddlers. 

Police said the suspect, identified as Christopher Okello Onyum, 39, entered the facility in Ggaba and later attacked a classroom where children had been gathered. 

Reports said the attacker had first gone to the office seeking admission and was asked to return before he proceeded with the assault. 

Police named the victims as Ryan Odeke, Gideon Eteku, Kaise Alungat and Ignatius Sserwange, all aged between about one-and-a-half and three years.

The suspect was arrested and remains in custody as investigations continue. In the aftermath, the government ordered the closure of the Ggaba centre and two related schools as investigations widened. 

The memorial service on Monday is therefore expected to serve not only as a farewell to the slain children, but also as a public moment of grief and reflection on the safety of children in learning spaces.