By Yahudu Kitunzi
Police in Mbale City are investigating circumstances under which a first-year student at Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) Mbale main campus allegedly hanged himself.
The Elgon regional police spokesperson, Mr. Rogers Taitika identified the deceased as Fred Kaptire, 34, who was pursuing a Diploma in General Nursing at IUIU.
He said the deceased committed suicide at his home in Wagagai cell, Nkoma ward in Mbale Northern city division on Tuesday, February 7.
“It is alleged that on March 5, 2023 at around 9:30 pm before the deceased committed suicide communicated to his wife, family members, and friends that he was going to commit suicide. The wife contacted several friends of the deceased to go and check on him in his hostel if he was fine,” Mr. Taitika said.
He added that Mr. David Magusho, one of the deceased’s friends rushed to Wagagai and found the door locked. Mugusho was forced to break the door and found the deceased hanging on a rope tied up to the roof timber.
Meanwhile, the IUIU public relations officer, Ms. Rehema Kantono, in a brief comment, said they were saddened by the bad news about the demise of their student.
A source at IUIU told this writer that the deceased has been threatening to kill himself due to financial challenges.
Mr. Taitika added that police visited the scene, retrieved his body, and took it to Mbale City mortuary for a postmortem as investigations continue to establish what triggered the suicide.
