Mubende Police Arrest 19-Year-Old Woman Over Toddler’s Death

What the report says

Police in Mubende District have arrested a 19-year-old woman in connection with the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy in Kirungi Cell, South Division of Mubende Municipality, according to Nile Post. The child, identified as Tumugonze Mugenyi, was found dead at a relative’s home after his mother left him there while she went to work. Police said the case is being treated as a suspected homicide and that investigators are examining claims of strangulation.

Wamala Region Police spokesperson SSP Lameck Kigozi said the boy’s mother, Turinzire Birungi, 26, a snacks vendor, left the child at her sister’s home on the evening of November 8, 2026. She later returned the next morning and, while on her way to collect him, received a call from the suspect asking her to hurry and take the child to hospital. When she arrived, she found the boy on a bed, covered with a blanket and appearing lifeless. She took him to a nearby clinic, where a nurse reportedly told her he was already dead.

Kigozi said neighbours later told the mother that the suspect may have strangled the child, prompting her to report the matter to Mubende Central Police Station. Police then dispatched a homicide team and a Scene of Crime Officer, documented the scene, recorded witness statements and moved the body to Mubende Regional Referral Hospital mortuary for postmortem. The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.

Police also used the incident to remind parents to make safe childcare arrangements, especially when working at night or away from home, and to leave young children with responsible caregivers.