A 43-year-old Kenyan national, Dorris Wamwoyo, also referred to in earlier police statements as Dorothy Namayo, appeared before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala on 13 November 2026 facing eight serious criminal charges arising from a violent incident at her matrimonial home in Kalungu-Godoz Village, Ggaba Parish, Makindye Division.
The charges include two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, arson, malicious damage to property and attempted suicide. Magistrate Aidah Nanjala declined to take a plea on the murder counts, noting that her court lacked jurisdiction over capital offences and that only the High Court could hear them. Wamwoyo was ordered remanded to Luzira Prison until 15 December 2026 for further mention of the case while investigations continue.
The events that led to the charges occurred in the early hours of 20 August 2026. According to police accounts, a housemaid was awakened by an alarm and cries from the main house at around 4:00 a.m. Upon entering, she discovered several children with severe stab wounds. One daughter, identified as 14-year-old Khadija Daisy Traore (also reported as Khadija Daizy), was found dead in her bedroom.
A second daughter, reported as seven-year-old Hawa Dalena or Danita Mariam Traore, later died while receiving treatment at Nsambya Hospital. Three other children, aged approximately 13, eight and five and named in charge sheets as Delma Aisha Traore, Delani Zainabu Traore and Dalena Hawa Traore, survived the attack and were rushed to hospital. The suspect herself was found injured and was initially admitted under police guard at Mulago National Referral Hospital before later being transferred to Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital for assessment.
Police registered cases of murder, attempted murder and arson at Kabalagala Police Division. A Toyota Hiace van parked at the residence was also set ablaze, and fire services recovered a jerrycan at the scene. Investigators retrieved CCTV footage from surrounding private cameras and recorded statements from the housemaid, neighbours and other witnesses. Early reports indicated that the suspect had told detectives the attack was linked to prolonged marital disputes. Her husband, a Malian national variously named in reports as Idris Traore, Edirisa Traore or Ederisa Troy, was said to have taken a second wife in the Namasuba area. Neighbours and the family’s housemaid described frequent quarrels beginning around May 2026, with the husband reportedly wanting sons after the couple had five daughters. Some family accounts also mentioned tensions over education, money and the husband’s expressed intention to seek DNA tests on the children.
Wamwoyo was first admitted at Mulago for treatment of her injuries, then moved to police custody and subsequently to Butabika following recommendations for mental evaluation. She was brought to court from Butabika, appearing wrapped in a blue lesu and wearing a face mask. The prosecution informed the magistrate that investigations remained ongoing. The charges specify that the alleged murders of Khadija Daisy Traore and Danita Mariam Traore, and the attempted murders of the three other children, all occurred on 20 August 2026 at the family home. The arson charge relates to the dwelling house belonging to Idris Traore, while the attempted suicide count concerns injuries inflicted on the same date.
The case has drawn significant public attention in Uganda, with family photographs of the couple and their five daughters circulating widely on social media and in news reports. The images show a posed group portrait of the man, woman and children in what appears to be a domestic setting. Reports note that the surviving children have been under the care of their father at another residence while the original home remains a crime scene. The matter has also prompted discussion of domestic violence, mental health assessments in capital cases, and the challenges faced by families in cross-border marriages involving foreign nationals residing in Kampala suburbs.
Legal observers point out that because the murder charges are capital offences under the Penal Code Act, the magistrate’s court can only handle preliminary matters such as remand and mention dates before the file is committed to the High Court for trial. The December 2026 mention date is expected to allow police and the Director of Public Prosecutions further time to complete investigations, including forensic analysis of the scene, medical reports and any psychiatric evaluations. Wamwoyo’s defence has not yet been formally entered in open court on the most serious counts.
Background details from the months preceding the incident, drawn from statements recorded by detectives and accounts given by the housemaid and neighbours, paint a picture of escalating tension within the household. The couple had met years earlier when Wamwoyo was a student at Kampala International University; her husband, who had previously worked in Zambia, was involved in real estate in Uganda. For a period the family lived relatively peacefully, according to the housemaid who had been with them for several years. Problems reportedly intensified after the husband established a second household. Disputes also involved practical matters such as the children’s schooling and household finances. On the day of the incident, there had been an earlier disagreement that a family friend helped to calm before the husband left the house. The suspect is reported to have left the home later under the pretext of an errand before the events of the early morning.
The tragedy has highlighted broader issues around domestic conflict, support services for women and children in mixed-nationality households, and the capacity of mental health institutions such as Butabika to assess accused persons in serious cases. Police have emphasised that investigations continue and that the full circumstances, including the precise sequence of events and any planning that may have occurred, remain under examination. No public trial date has yet been set, and the case remains at the remand and investigation stage pending further court appearances.
As the matter proceeds through the Ugandan justice system, the surviving children and the wider family continue to deal with the consequences of the August events. The remand of Dorris Wamwoyo until mid-December provides a defined next step in the process, after which the High Court is expected to assume jurisdiction over the murder charges. The outcome will depend on the evidence gathered by investigators, medical and psychiatric reports, and the eventual findings of the court. For now, the case stands as one of the most closely followed domestic violence prosecutions in Kampala in 2026, drawing attention to the intersection of marital breakdown, mental health considerations and the protection of children within family settings.
