NANSANA, Uganda — Three people, including a landlady and a tenant couple, have died in a house fire in Nansana, Wakiso District, with Ugandan police investigating the incident as suspected arson.
The victims have been identified as landlady Violet Nanyombi, tenant Annet Namulondo and her husband, Isabirye Bumali.
The fire broke out in Nansana West 1A in the early hours of Monday, September 28, in a residential building that had been divided into several rental units.
Police said preliminary information suggested that the fire may have been deliberately started, but cautioned that investigations were still under way. Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said investigators had recovered written material from the scene that was being examined.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths have not been conclusively established.
Local leaders said Nanyombi may have been facing financial pressure linked to a loan before the fire.
Nansana West Village chairperson George Mukiibi said Nanyombi had left a handwritten document with her nine-year-old daughter shortly before the incident. The document reportedly included instructions on who should care for the child and manage her property until she reached adulthood.
Mukiibi said the document also referred to a loan that Nanyombi was servicing at a reported daily rate of Shs60,000.
Nansana Municipality Mayor Sam Mugabi separately said preliminary information indicated that Nanyombi had been under pressure from moneylenders over an unpaid debt.
Mugabi said she had reportedly received repeated calls from lenders on the Sunday before the fire.
The claims about the loan and alleged harassment have not been independently established by police.
A separate report by Daily Monitor said local leaders had also indicated that Nanyombi had a bank loan, although the publication did not independently establish that debt as the cause of the fire.
The building was divided into rental rooms, allowing the fire and smoke to spread rapidly.
Survivors described a chaotic scene as occupants attempted to escape the burning building. Six survivors were evacuated and taken for medical attention, according to police.
One survivor, Stephen Bazibu, told Vivid Voice News that residents heard what sounded like an explosion shortly before the flames spread to neighbouring rooms.
Witness accounts about how the fire started differ.
Some residents suspected a gas cylinder may have exploded, while others reported seeing Nanyombi carrying a container believed to contain petrol before the incident. Police have not confirmed either account.
Police said the three bodies were badly burned and that forensic examinations were continuing.
Police have said they are examining evidence recovered from the scene as investigators work to establish how the fire started and what led to the deaths.
Kituuma said preliminary accounts indicated that one of the victims may have intentionally started the fire after becoming angry and allegedly pushing some people out of the house.
He cautioned against reaching conclusions before investigators complete their work.
Also Read: Police probe ‘suicide note’ found after Naalya student’s death
“Let’s give our investigators time to unpack all the facts,” he said.
The incident has therefore raised questions about possible financial distress and the circumstances preceding the fire, but police have not publicly established a definitive motive.
The reported loan pressure has also renewed attention on the difficulties faced by borrowers dealing with aggressive debt collection.
Uganda has previously seen cases involving alleged harassment by digital lenders. In one 2025 case, a digital lender was accused of threatening to publish a borrower’s personal information over an unpaid Shs60,000 loan.
However, investigators have yet to determine whether debt pressure played a direct role in the Nansana fire.
For now, police are treating the deaths as part of a suspected arson investigation, while forensic and other inquiries continue.
