By Karim Were
KAMPALA — Police in Kampala are investigating a violent domestic incident in which a 43-year-old Kenyan woman is suspected of stabbing five of her children at their home in Kalungu-Bunga, Ggaba Parish, leaving two dead and three injured.
The incident occurred at about 4:00 a.m. on August 20, 2026, according to the Uganda Police Force. Officers said the case has been registered as murder, attempted murder and arson at Kabalagala Police Division.
The suspect, identified by police as Namayo Dorothy, and also referred to in media reports as Dorothy Wamwoyo, was herself found injured at the scene and initially admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital under police guard. Police later said that she was in stable and improving condition.
The case has attracted attention because of the number of children involved, the alleged use of a knife, an attempted suicide and the burning of a vehicle at the family residence.
Police have stressed that investigations are continuing and that the suspect remains entitled to due process. No court has convicted her in relation to the incident.
Two children died in the attack
According to the initial police account, a housemaid was awakened by a vehicle alarm and cries for help coming from the main house.
When she went to investigate, she found several children suffering from serious stab wounds and raised the alarm.
Police initially identified one of the deceased children as 14-year-old Khadija Daizy, who was found dead in her bedroom. Another child, identified in the initial statement as seven-year-old Hawa Dalena, was taken to Nsambya Hospital but later died while receiving treatment.
Three other children, aged 13, eight and five at the time of the initial police report, survived the attack and were taken to hospital.
In a subsequent police update, however, investigators identified the deceased as Khadija Daisy Traore, 14, and Danita Mariam Traore. Police said the bodies were handed over to their father after postmortem examinations and were buried at Kololo Muslim Cemetery on August 21.
The discrepancy in the name of the second deceased child appears in different accounts of the case. A responsible report should therefore rely on the latest official police identification when referring to the victim.
Police said two of the surviving children were later discharged from Mulago Hospital, while another remained admitted and was reported to be in stable condition.
Burnt vehicle recovered at the compound
The incident was not limited to the alleged stabbing.
According to police, a Toyota Hiace vehicle at the premises was set on fire and completely destroyed. Fire Prevention and Rescue Services responded to the blaze, while investigators recovered a jerrycan suspected to have contained petrol.
Homicide detectives, Scene of Crime Officers and fire investigators examined the property and collected exhibits for forensic examination.
Police said the physical evidence, witness accounts and other investigative material would be used to establish what happened inside the home and the circumstances surrounding the deaths, injuries and fire.
The incident was initially reported through Kabalagala Police Division, with investigations being handled by officers in the Kampala Metropolitan South area.
Police investigate possible domestic violence
A police update issued later said investigators had interviewed the suspect while she was receiving treatment.
According to the statement, the woman alleged that the incident arose from ongoing domestic violence between herself and her husband. Police also interviewed the husband and recorded his statement. The husband reportedly confirmed that there had been domestic violence in the relationship.
Those allegations remain part of the investigation and should not be treated as an established explanation for the killings.
Police have also been examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area. In an August 26 update, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Directorate of Forensics and the Directorate of Information and Communications Technology were reported to be working together, with 11 private CCTV recordings obtained as part of the inquiry.
The use of CCTV and forensic evidence could help investigators establish movements before and after the incident and determine whether the fire and stabbing formed part of the same sequence of events.
Suspect’s mental health becomes part of investigation
The suspect’s mental state has subsequently become another issue in the case.
The Daily Monitor reported on September 3 that detectives had transferred the suspect from Kabalagala Police Station to Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital for a mental health assessment. The report said police pathologists had conducted an earlier assessment and recommended a forensic psychiatric evaluation.
However, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala told the publication that she was not aware of the reported transfer and said the suspect had been discharged from Mulago Hospital back to the police station.
That differing information means the suspect’s precise current status should be treated cautiously until police issue a further formal update.
A mental health assessment, where ordered or recommended, does not by itself establish whether a suspect was legally responsible for alleged criminal acts. Any such issue would ultimately have to be considered through the appropriate legal process.
Investigations continue
The Uganda Police Force said the suspect was interviewed on August 22 and that investigators obtained a detailed statement from her.
Police said the investigation team had revisited the scene on August 21 and collected additional CCTV material. Statements were also recorded from neighbours and first responders.
The police update said the suspect remained hospitalised and was in a stable and improving condition at the time.
Police said that once the investigation is completed, the suspect will be presented before a court for appropriate legal proceedings.
That means the investigation is still at a pre-trial stage, and claims about motive or responsibility must remain attributed to investigators or other identified sources rather than presented as proven facts.
The wider concern over violence against children
The Ggaba case has also renewed concerns about the vulnerability of children within domestic settings.
Child protection experts and law-enforcement agencies have repeatedly stressed the importance of identifying domestic violence early, particularly where children may be exposed to severe conflict between adults in a household.
In this case, the alleged attack happened inside the family home in the early hours of the morning. The children were reportedly discovered only after a housemaid heard an alarm and their cries for help.
The case therefore raises questions not only about the events of August 20 but also about whether earlier warning signs existed and whether intervention could have prevented the violence.
Those questions, however, require evidence and should not be answered through speculation.
A case still before the justice system
The Ggaba incident should also be distinguished from another high-profile case in the same area earlier this year.
In April 2026, Christopher Okello Onyum was convicted and sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering four toddlers at a daycare centre in Ggaba. That case involved a different suspect, different victims and a different set of circumstances.
The August attack at Kalungu-Bunga is unrelated to that daycare case.
For the family involved in the latest incident, the consequences are immediate and severe: two children have died, three survived with injuries, and investigators are still attempting to establish the complete circumstances surrounding what happened.
The Uganda Police Force has said it will take the case through the legal process once investigations are completed.
For now, the allegations remain allegations. The evidence gathered from the crime scene, CCTV footage, medical examinations and witness statements will be central to determining what happened and whether criminal charges can be sustained in court.
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