Views: 2
Kampala police are investigating the circumstances under which another man was found hanging dead on a Kampala golf course, days after authorities said there is a sharp rise in suicide cases in and around Uganda’s capital. .
The body of Simon Bakole, a Nakasero market vendor, was found hanging from a tree on Tuesday around 7am.
The head of security at the golf course, Mr. Edwin Ocaya, told this reporter that Bakole, 47, was found with his Nakasero market identity card and a national identity card of a woman.
Police are yet to establish the motive or circumstances under which Bakole.
“A case of suspected suicide was registered. The crime scene was visited and examined by a homicide team. The body was found hanging from a tree with a rope tied around the neck. The body had all the signs of suicide by hanging. The Relatives of the deceased were informed by phone and promised to travel to Kampala to follow up,” said Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire.
His body was taken to the Mulago city mortuary.
However, last week, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson ASP Owoyesigyire said there was a sharp rise in suicide cases after two people jumped from buildings in the city and two others were found dead hanging from the trees in less than 72 hours.
On June 3, three cases were reported in Bulenga, Katwe and Kiira. Two men are said to have hanged themselves while one, an Asian national, jumped from the top of a hotel building.
“Shukla Chiragkumar, 35, allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of the hotel building, breaking his arm, and was rushed to a hospital in Bukoto, where he was declared dead,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
At the time, he said detectives were also investigating two other suspected suicides involving Robert Wanonili, 38, in Bulenga, and Yunus Budo, a chapatti seller in Katwe.
“Wanonili is suspected to have committed suicide using a wire tied to a mango tree. What we know about the deceased is that he has been a cancer patient. The exact reason for this suicide is also being investigated,” he stated.
Budo’s body was found hanging from a tree near his home in Ndejje Lubogomu.
The three deaths were reported barely two days after a 40-year-old prominent ICT specialist and digital marketer, John Birungi Babirukamu, a resident of Kitwale, allegedly jumped to his death from the top of a hotel building in Kamwokya, a suburb of Kampala.
The World Health Organization indicates that more than 700,000 people die by suicide each year in different circumstances, mostly attributed to depression.
The WHO also reports that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 worldwide.
A report by the Ministry of Health, Uganda National Institute of Public Health-UNIPH Quarterly Epidemiological Bulletin, indicates that Uganda has a high suicide rate and men are at higher risk than women.
What the experts say
In an interview with this publication, Drabe Godfrey Yiki, a mental health expert, said that loans, family-related problems, poor performance in the workplace and lack of mental health sessions at work have contributed to largely to some of the suicides in the country.
“Lack of mental health sessions in workplaces has largely contributed to mental health problems and suicides in the country. Many Ugandans are dying of loans and debt and have no one with whom they can openly discuss these issues,” Drabe said.
He added: “Human resources should organize open sessions in the workplace, where everyone can share their emotions and challenges with others.”
Drabe urged the government to also implement mental awareness campaigns on how Ugandans can access help.