30-year-old single father commits suicide over ‘economic hardships’- police

Police in Mbale District in eastern Uganda are investigating a case of suicide after the body of a 30-year-old man was found hanging on a tree in a banana plantation in Bunapongo village, Lwambogo Parish, Bungokho Sub County.
The body of Isaac Mayeku who has been living with his 8-year-old son, was found hanging on a tree on Thursday.

His elderly mother, Ms Mary Watsemwa told police that Mayeku had been threatening to end his life to escape from his misery largely caused by economic hardships.
"Isaac had been leading a hard life without any fixed place of abode. He was not even taking good care of his son. We suspect that poverty could have forced my son to commit suicide because he had threatened to do it on many occasions," Ms Watsemwa said.

She said her son was suffering from depression before she he ended his life.
The Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, Mr Robert Tukei, said detectives visited the scene, picked the body and took it to Mbale municipal mortuary for postmortem as investigations continue.
"He must have hanged himself on Thursday. We were notified and our detectives visited the scene of crime and inquiries to establish the truth of the matter have been initiated," Mr Tukei said on Friday.

Police have so far established that the deceased has been living with his son following his divorce several years ago.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), close to 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and for each death, there are more than 20 suicide attempts.
A report by Ministry of Health (MoH); Uganda National Institute Public Health (UNIPH) Quarterly Epidemiological Bulletin, indicates that Uganda has a high suicide rate of 18.67 per cent with men at a higher risk than women.