Namisindwa, Uganda: The Territorial police in Namisindwa district are investigating the circumstances under which a 4-year-old child was burnt to ashes in a tragic fire that gutted her grandmother’s house in Sibalango cell, Buwandyambi ward, Namisindwa town council in Namisindwa district.
According to Elgon Region Police Spokesperson SP Rogers Taitika, the incident occurred at around 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, when a fire broke out in the house where four children had been left locked inside by their grandmother, who was away at the time.
“It is alleged that the grandmother had locked the four children in the house. The fire occurred at around 1 a.m. and was reported to police by the area LC1 chairperson, Mr. Nasimolo Nathan, who, together with neighbors, tried to rescue the children,” SP Taitika said in a Tuesday statement.
Neighbors, responding to distress calls from Woponyo Joel, a son to the homeowner Kakayi Lydia, managed to rescue three children and recover household items before realizing one child was still trapped inside.
“After putting out the fire, responders discovered that one child, who had been sleeping in the same room as her grandmother, had been burnt to death,” SP Taitika confirmed.
Police say the fire appears to have started in the master bedroom, where investigators found burnt electrical wires, a solar battery, switch, and a bulb, suggesting a possible electrical fault.
Charred property, including a bed, bag, and household items, was recovered from the debris. Preliminary findings further revealed that the oldest child in the house was only 13 years old, and that the grandmother was not home when the fire broke out.
“It has been established that the owner of the house, one Kakayi Lydia, wasn’t in the house by the time of the fire outbreak,” SP Taitika added, before warning people against locking children in houses citing possible risks of fire and other calamities.
The body of the deceased was taken to Mbale City Mortuary for postmortem examination as investigations continue to determine the exact cause of the fire.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
