Kampala – Two children are dead and three others remain hospitalised after a violent attack at a family home in Kalungu Bunga, Ggaba Parish, Makindye Division, early on Thursday morning.
Police say the incident occurred at about 4:00 a.m. on August 20, 2026. The deceased have been identified as Khadija Daizy, 14, who died at the scene in her bedroom, and Hawa Dalena, 7, who later succumbed to her injuries at Nsambya Hospital. Three other children, aged 13, 8 and 5, sustained stab wounds and are receiving treatment.
The children’s mother, Dorothy Namayo, 43, a Kenyan national, is the main suspect. She was found injured at the scene and is currently under police guard at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Detectives are treating the case as murder, attempted murder and arson.
According to preliminary accounts, a housemaid was woken by cries for help from the main house. When she went to investigate, she discovered several of the children with severe stab wounds. Neighbours, alerted by a car alarm and the sound of children crying, forced their way into the locked house. A Toyota Hiace parked in the compound was set on fire and completely destroyed. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, and investigators recovered a five-litre jerrycan believed to have contained petrol.
Witnesses told police the attack followed a domestic dispute the previous day. The children’s father, Ederisa Troy, a Malian national, is said to have returned home distressed and argued with his wife. Neighbours reported that tension in the household had been rising since May, after the husband allegedly took a second wife. Sources close to the family said he wanted sons, as Namayo had only given birth to daughters. Regular quarrels had become common whenever he returned home.
“The trouble started in May this year after the husband allegedly took a second wife,” one neighbour told investigators. “There has been no peace here.”
Kampala Metropolitan Police confirmed that homicide detectives, scene-of-crime officers and fire personnel examined the scene and collected exhibits for forensic analysis. Statements have been recorded from witnesses, including the housemaid and neighbours. The bodies of the two girls were taken to Mulago City Mortuary for postmortem examinations.
Police have not yet publicly confirmed a definitive motive or established the full sequence of events, including how the fire started. Namayo remains in hospital under guard while investigations continue. The case has been registered at Kabalagala Police Division.
The attack has shocked residents of Bunga and the wider Makindye area. Local leaders and neighbours described the family as previously quiet, though some had noticed increasing arguments in recent months. Community members expressed deep sadness over the loss of the two young girls and concern for the surviving children.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and allow the investigation to proceed. Further updates are expected once forensic results and additional witness statements are analysed.
The incident comes at a time when domestic violence continues to draw public attention across Uganda. Police have appealed for anyone with information that could assist the probe to contact the nearest station or the police hotline.
As of Thursday evening, the three injured children remained under medical care, while detectives worked to piece together the final hours before the attack that claimed two young lives and left a family shattered.