KAMPALA, Uganda — Police are investigating a suspected domestic attack in which a 43-year-old Kenyan woman allegedly stabbed her five children at their home in Kalungu-Bunga, Ggaba, killing two and seriously injuring three others.
The incident happened at about 4am on Thursday, August 20, in Kalungu Zone, Bunga Parish, in Kampala’s Makindye Division.
Police identified the suspect as Dorothy Namayo, a Kenyan national and mother of the five children. She was also found seriously injured at the residence and is receiving treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital under police guard.
The deceased children were identified as Khadija Daizy, 14, who was found dead in her bedroom, and Hawa Dalena, seven, who later died while receiving treatment at Nsambya Hospital.
Three other children, aged 13, eight and five, survived the attack and remain in hospital receiving treatment.
The attack came to light after the family’s housemaid was awakened by an alarm and cries for help from the main house, according to police and witnesses.
The maid, identified as Mariam Saana, reportedly went to investigate and found several of the children suffering from serious stab wounds.
She raised an alarm after discovering that access to the main residence had been restricted.
Neighbours subsequently forced their way into the compound and house before helping rescue the injured children.
One neighbour, Godfrey Mukisa, said residents initially struggled to gain access to the property.
He said the children were found with severe injuries, including wounds to the neck and abdomen.
The victims were initially taken for emergency treatment before some were referred to Nsambya Hospital. Police later took the mother to hospital after finding her injured inside the residence.
The stabbing was accompanied by a fire at the compound in which a Toyota Hiace van was completely destroyed.
Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Services responded to the blaze and recovered a jerrycan suspected to have contained petrol.
The discovery has led investigators to treat the incident not only as a suspected murder and attempted murder case but also as arson.
Homicide detectives, Scene of Crime Officers and fire investigators have examined the residence and collected exhibits for forensic analysis.
The bodies of the two children were taken to Mulago City Mortuary for postmortem examinations, police said.
Accounts from people close to the family suggest that a prolonged marital dispute may have preceded the attack.
The family’s housemaid told investigators that the children’s father, identified in local reports as Ederisa Troy, had allegedly taken another wife in May.
According to the account, tensions between the couple had increased after the reported marriage, with frequent arguments whenever the husband returned home.
The maid reportedly said the couple had argued shortly before the incident and that the woman accused her husband of infidelity.
She alleged that the husband had wanted sons because the family had only daughters.
However, police have not confirmed the alleged second marriage as the motive for the attack.
The authorities have said investigations are continuing to establish what happened inside the home and why the children were attacked.
That distinction is important as detectives reconstruct the events leading to the stabbing.
Emmanuel Kazibwe, a neighbour who knew the family, told local media that he had previously heard the couple arguing at night.
He said the disputes would usually end with the couple reconciling.
The latest incident, however, escalated into a tragedy that left two children dead.
Residents who responded to the emergency described a chaotic scene, with cries for help coming from inside the property as a vehicle burned outside.
The incident has shocked residents in an area that has experienced other serious crimes in recent months.
Namayo remains in hospital as investigators continue their work.
Police have recorded statements from the person who reported the incident and other relevant witnesses, while forensic teams examine evidence recovered from the scene.
Her injuries are also expected to form part of the investigation as detectives seek to establish the sequence of events and whether they were self-inflicted.
The case has been registered at Kabalagala Police Station and is being investigated as murder, attempted murder and arson.
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Gift Atuheire, Deputy City Resident Commissioner for Makindye Division, condemned the deaths and urged couples facing marital difficulties to seek separation or other peaceful solutions rather than allowing disputes to escalate.
The official said the children were innocent victims of whatever disagreement existed between their parents.
The surviving children remain in hospital, while investigators continue to piece together the events surrounding one of Kampala’s most disturbing recent family tragedies.
For now, the precise motive remains unconfirmed.
Police are expected to rely on witness accounts, forensic evidence, postmortem findings and the medical assessment of the suspect as they reconstruct what happened inside the Kalungu-Bunga home before dawn.
The investigation remains ongoing.
