Student commits suicide over poor scores in UCE
Equasophat Sekyondwa at the school's farewell party. PHOTO BY PEREZ RUMANZI
What you need to know:
- Mr Kayunga narrated to Daily Monitor on Monday that the deceased went to receive results from school on Wednesday but did not share them with any of the family members.
- Upon his return home in the evening, he reportedly closed himself up in his room and took poison.
- “When he returned from school, he did not show anyone his results; he just went to his room and closed the door. He said he had headache and had already eaten so he wanted to be alone. A few hours later, our mother went to his room only to find him oozing foam from the mouth, besides his bed was a tin of poison,” Mr Kayunga told Daily Monitor on Friday.
NTUNGAMO. A distraught family in Ntungamo District is grieving over the sudden death of a former Senior Four student of Kagamba Secondary School who committed suicide after scoring poor grades in the recently released Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.
Having scored aggregate 68, in the UCE released last Tuesday, Equasophat Sekyondwa, 23, an average performer, could not take in the news, according to his elder brother, Mr Willing Kayunga.
Mr Kayunga narrated to Daily Monitor on Monday that the deceased went to receive results from school on Wednesday but did not share them with any of the family members.
Upon his return home in the evening, he reportedly closed himself up in his room and took poison.
“When he returned from school, he did not show anyone his results; he just went to his room and closed the door. He said he had headache and had already eaten so he wanted to be alone. A few hours later, our mother went to his room only to find him oozing foam from the mouth, besides his bed was a tin of poison,” Mr Kayunga told Daily Monitor on Friday.
He was rushed to Divine Clinic in Rwashamaire Town on Wednesday night for medication and died on Thursday afternoon.
“When he became conscious, he told us he wanted to die other than remaining in the world shamefully. His condition again deteriorated and he died,” said Mr Kayunga.
Mr Rogers Tumusiime, a friend described the late as a very straight forward man who could do anything for success.
“He never cowed down. I think he was misled by his mind he needed someone to counsel him,” Mr Tumusiime said.
Ms Lovence Kiwanuka, the mother of the deceased, explained that when his son finished exams, he started looking for jobs and at the time of his death was working as a porter at Rwashamaire Health Centre IV.
“He told us on Wednesday that he was going to get his results from school but we realised that he was in bad condition later. We took him to hospital after finding a poison tin near his bed,” she said.
Commenting about the deceased’s performance record, Mr Patrick Kamugisha, the headmaster Kagamba Secondary School said “I don’t think he would be surprised by the results. Comparing with mock, still he was in third grade. It can’t be the reason he committed suicide. He was an average student who could not be surprised by the aggregate he got. However, he was a good foot baller.”
