Police have said a mental health assessment found the Kenyan woman suspected of killing two of her children in Kampala mentally stable and capable of understanding her actions at the time of the incident.
Dorothy Namayo, 43, is currently admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital under Police guard as investigations continue into the deaths of her two daughters and the injuries sustained by three others.
The incident happened at about 4:00am on Friday at the family home in Kalungu-Bunga, Ggaba parish, Makindye, Kampala.
According to Police, a housemaid was awakened by an alarm and cries for help from the main house. She rushed there and found several children with serious knife wounds.
Khadija Daizy, 14, was found dead in one of the bedrooms, while her seven-year-old sister, Hawa Dalena, was rushed to Nsambya Hospital but later died from her injuries.
The three other girls, aged 13, eight and five, survived and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Namayo, who is the prime suspect, underwent a mental health assessment as part of the investigation. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said the assessment found her mentally stable.
Investigators have also recorded a statement from Namayo in which she gave her account of what happened and what she believes led to the incident.
“She responded positively and the investigating team will still go back and get information, if necessary,” Kawala told New Vision.
Police have also taken a statement from Namayo’s husband, Ederisa Troy, a Malian national, as detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Kawala said statements from the couple contain conflicting accusations and counter-accusations, pointing to longstanding disagreements in their marriage.
Police said the couple had experienced domestic violence and other disagreements for some time, although neither had reported the matter to Police.
Kawala said Namayo accused her husband of preventing her from working, while Troy raised complaints about what he described as disrespect.
“Without revealing further information, the woman accused her husband of refusing to allow her to work, while the husband, on his part, raised issues linked to disrespect,” Kawala said.
The couple’s conflicting accounts have been included in the investigation as detectives try to establish whether their marital problems contributed to the events that led to the deaths of the two children.
Kabalagala Police Division is investigating the matter as murder, attempted murder and arson.
Kawala said Namayo will be taken to court once investigations are complete and she has been discharged from Mulago Hospital.
