KAMPALA — Two children were killed and three others injured in a violent attack at a family home in Kalungu, Bunga, in Kampala’s Makindye Division, early Thursday morning.
Police said the incident occurred at about 4am on August 20, after a housemaid was awakened by an alarm and the cries of children from the main house.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police South Deputy Public Relations Officer ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, the maid rushed to the house and found several children with severe injuries.
She opened the house and raised the alarm, prompting an emergency response from police and other rescue teams.
Police identified one of the deceased as Khadija Daizy, 14, who was found dead in her bedroom. Another child, Hawa Dalena, 7, was taken to Nsambya Hospital but later died while receiving treatment.
Three other children, aged 13, eight and five, survived the attack and were rushed to hospital for medical attention.
Police said the children’s 43-year-old mother, Namayo Dorothy, a Kenyan national, was also found injured at the scene.
Ms Dorothy was taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she is receiving treatment under police guard. Police have identified her as the suspect as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths continue.
The incident also involved a fire at the residence. A Toyota Hiace vehicle parked at the premises was set ablaze and completely destroyed.
The Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Services responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. Detectives also recovered a jerrycan suspected to have contained petrol.
Homicide detectives, Scene of Crime Officers and fire and rescue personnel examined the premises and collected exhibits for forensic analysis.
The bodies of the two deceased children were taken to Mulago City Mortuary for postmortem examinations.
Police said a case of murder, attempted murder and arson had been registered at Kabalagala Police Station.
“Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and the motive behind the attack,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
Police have also recorded statements from the housemaid and other relevant witnesses as detectives seek to establish what happened inside the residence before the emergency was raised.
The motive for the attack had not been established by Thursday afternoon.
The incident comes months after the killing of children at a daycare centre in Ggaba, for which Christopher Okello Onyum was convicted and sentenced to death.
Police have urged the public to allow investigators to complete their inquiries as they establish the circumstances surrounding the latest deaths.