Grief as S.6 candidate hangs self to death in Budaka

Budaka, (UG):- Police in Budaka District are investigating the circumstances under which a 20-year-old senior six student reportedly hanged herself to death in a gruesome Sunday incident.

Kolovina Naisiga, a student at Budini Secondary School in Kaliro District reportedly committed the suicidal act on Sunday, February 11, at her parents’ home in Budaka at around 9 pm.

Bukedi North regional police spokesperson, SP Samuel Semewo confirmed the incident and said Naisiga’s body which was found hanging in her room at their home in Bukomolo village, Kadatuni Parish, Katira Sub-County in Budaka district was taken to Mbale City Mortuary for postmortem.

Mr Semewo added that detectives are yet to ascertain the circumstances that might have triggered Naisiga to hang herself, although police preliminary investigations indicated that the deceased was pregnant.

“At around 9 pm, Naisiga (the deceased) entered her room to read her books while her mother was preparing supper. As soon as supper was ready, Naisiga’s mother sent her younger brother to call her. He called her sister but in vain until he decided to peek through the window and saw her hanging on a rope in her room,” Mr Semewo said.

The mother was alerted and made an alarm which attracted people, and later, a report was made to the police by Mr Tom Bulabale, 65, a father of the deceased, confirming the demise of their daughter.

“Police immediately reached the scene, and removed the lifeless body of the deceased. Documented the scene of the crime, recorded statements, and the body was conveyed to the mortuary for postmortem,” said Mr Ssemewo in a Monday police statement.

A teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity said Naisiga has been a bright and disciplined girl without any known history of misconduct or tendencies to yield to misleading peer groups within the school and they were shocked about the news.

A police crime annual report of 2022 indicated that a total of 4,043 cases of Homicide were reported to police by the end of 2022 compared to 3,912 cases reported in 2021, giving a 3.3 per cent increase in homicide cases across the country within that period.