KAMPALA, Uganda — Police are investigating an early-morning incident in Bunga-Kalungu, Ggaba Parish, Makindye Division, in which two children died and three others were injured.
The incident occurred at about 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, according to the Uganda Police Force.
Kampala Metropolitan Police South and Kabalagala Police Division are treating the case as murder, attempted murder and arson.
Police said a housemaid was alerted by an alarm and the cries of children asking for help. Upon checking the home, she found several children with serious injuries.
The deceased have been identified as Khadija Daizy, 14, who was found dead in her bedroom, and Hawa Dalena, 7, who was taken to Nsambya Hospital but later died while receiving treatment.
Three other children, aged 13, 8 and 5, sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.
Police identified Namayo Dorothy, 43, also known as Dorothy Namayo, a Kenyan national and the children’s mother, as the suspect. She was also found injured and is currently receiving treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital under police guard.
A Toyota Hiace vehicle at the home was also set on fire and completely destroyed.
Local residents said they were alerted at around 5:00 a.m. by a car alarm. They reportedly found the vehicle burning and later forced their way into the locked house after hearing children crying.
Some preliminary accounts from residents and the area leadership suggested that a domestic dispute may have preceded the incident. Initial reports also contained differing information about the children’s ages and the precise sequence of events.
Police’s official account has since confirmed the identities and ages of the two deceased children and the three surviving children.
Investigators are now working to establish the full circumstances of the incident, including what happened inside the house, how the children sustained their injuries and how the vehicle caught fire.
The suspect remains under police guard as investigations continue. Further details are expected as police examine the scene and obtain statements from witnesses and survivors.
The incident is separate from the Ggaba daycare incident of April 2026 and is not being treated as related to that case.
