Pupil, 9, commits suicide over school fees balance

Lwengo, (UG): The Territorial Police in Lwengo District are investigating circumstances under which a nine-year-old pupil committed suicide after being detained by the school for failure to pay fees balance.

Joel Ojuma, 9, a pupil at COLOH Children’s Foundation School and resident of Byuma zone in Kyazanga Town Council, Lwengo district committed suicide by hanging in an incident that reportedly occurred on Saturday, November 25, inside the school dormitory.

Preliminary information indicates that COLOH Children’s Foundation had closed last week on Friday, November 24 but the Director decided to retain some pupils at school who had not completed school fees.

“We established that the sister to the now deceased Alinda Kasifa was sent to pick Ojuma Joel from school but the bursar refused her to take him minus paying, hence the now deceased slept at school with another boy child Lwanga Allan” said police.

It is said that on November 25, Allan Lwanga was picked by his parents and the school remained with only two pupils a boy Joel Ojuma and a girl identified as Ramula Namugga with each sleeping in a separate dormitory.

“At about 12 o’clock, the cook one only identified as Robert sent the girl Ramula Namugga to take food to Ojuma Joel in the dormitory who found him dead while hanging on a rope,” said police.

The girl alerted the teacher who confirmed and informed the director who reported to the police where a case of suicide by hanging was registered vide KZG/293/2023.

Scene of crime officers visited the school where they found a body hanging in a rope tied on a three-decker metallic bed inside the boys’ dormitory.

In the aftermath of the disturbing incident, police arrested the school director and some administrators of the school for allegedly causing frustration to the pupil which led to suicide.

The three suspects in custody are; Chris Matovu, the director, Julius Sekatawa, head teacher and school bursar Muzafaru Kagenda.

This incident registered under case file Kyazanga police station case number KZG/CRB/293/2023 is a subject of ongoing investigations by the territorial police.