Mbale City, Uganda: Police in Mbale City have arrested a landlord after a 19-year-old Senior Five student died from electrocution while ironing her school uniform in a rental house allegedly connected to electricity through illegal wiring.
The deceased has been identified as Adongo Evaline, a student of Gill Sherlock Memorial Secondary School and a member of the Iteso community who was residing in Namabasa Zone, Industrial Division, near her school.
According to the Elgon Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Rogers Taitika, the fatal incident occurred at around 5:45 a.m. on Thursday as the teenager prepared for school.
Police say Adongo was ironing her school uniform inside the sitting room of the rented house when she came into contact with an electric current and was electrocuted instantly.
The matter was reported by Lukolele Bonefesi, a resident of Namabasa Zone in Northern Division, prompting officers from Mbale Industrial Police Station to respond to the scene.
A team comprising homicide detectives and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) conducted an examination of the scene and established preliminary evidence pointing to electrocution.
“The burn marks on the left hand were fresh and clearly showed the point where electricity entered her body,” SP Taitika said.
He noted that the injuries observed on the victim helped investigators immediately establish electrocution as the likely cause of death.
During the inspection, police reportedly discovered that the house had been connected to the electricity grid through an illegal power connection, a finding that has become central to the ongoing investigations.
The discovery raised further concern after investigators established that nine students, both male and female, were residing in the same premises.
Police subsequently arrested the landlord, identified as Pastor Wabutwa Hassan of Namabasa 111A Zone, to assist with investigations into the circumstances surrounding the illegal electricity connection and the student’s death.
“Landlords and tenants must always ensure wiring is done by qualified technicians because lives depend on it. Illegal connections are not worth the risk,” SP Taitika warned.
The deceased’s body was conveyed to Mbale City Mortuary for a postmortem examination as police continue gathering evidence.
Mbale Industrial Police have since opened a case file and launched comprehensive investigations to establish whether negligence, illegal electrical installations or other factors contributed to the tragedy.
The incident has reignited concerns about unsafe electrical installations in rental properties, particularly in student hostels and residential areas where illegal power connections continue to pose significant risks to occupants.
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