By Andrew Irumba
Wakiso: Residents of Katabi town are gripped with shock after landing on a body of a primary four pupil who allegedly hanged herself because of being tortured by her stepmother.
The deceased, only identified as Naluyima, was pupil of Nkumba junior primary school in Nkumba central in Katabi town council in Wakiso district. Her lifeless body was on Friday morning found hanging on a pole in the small room where she had been sleeping. Mark Matovu, a neighbor to the deceased, says the minor who has been staying with her stepmother, was residing in one of the small rooms adjacent to the main house. Phiona Nabirye, one of the family members narrated how they had breakfast with the deceased. Nabirye said that “She expressed no signs of agony whatsoever, but to our shock, we found her hanging with a bed-sheet tied around her neck.” Her body was taken to Mulago National Referral hospital for postmortem. A case of suicide was recorded at Abaita Ababiri police vide SD 26/23/05/2019 as investigations into the matter continues. However, some residents wanted to force the deceased’s stepmother, Hellen Makamazibu out of the house, accusing her of leaving a 12-year girl to sleep in a congested room outside the main house. The deceased’s father, Thomas Katende returned later from Nsazi Island where he carries out his fishing business.
He explained that Naluyima and her siblings spent their school holidays at Nsazi Island with him and only returned to Nkumba central a day before her demise. “She was happy and jolly by the time they left me at Nsazi Island,” Katende said. Katende who was restricted by his in-laws from talking to the press, did not explain why his 12-year old daughter was sleeping outside the main house which looked big enough to accommodate all the five children at home. The police have since started investigating the matter to establish what could have driven the girl into committing suicide and whether she had been subjected to torture by her parents or not.
