Deceased: Martha Ahumuza Murari, 23. PHOTO/ COURTESY
The actual cause of death of Martha Ahumuza Murari, who died in a Kampala City bar, remains shrouded in mystery even after she was buried yesterday.
Ahumuza Murari, 23, collapsed at Mezo Noir nightclub in the upscale Kampala City suburb of Kololo while on a Wednesday night out with friends and was pronounced dead at Kampala Hospital on Thursday.
At her funeral yesterday at Nyarubanga Parish, Kakiika Sub-county in Mbarara District, the family said they still don’t know what could have killed their daughter.
Mr Seth Murali, her father, said: “We have not yet gotten results from the police, we are still waiting for them. We have not yet known the cause of death, but she had gone to see her friend and fainted from there.”
Mr Murari did not clarify whether or not it is the police with the post-mortem report .
“She was taken to the hospital where she was found to have had a crack in the head, which led to the flow of blood in her brain. By the time she reached hospital she was literally brain dead but her heart was still alive,” he added.
Mr Murari said his daughter's death should not be used by social media enthusiasts to make money by spreading false information since investigations into the tragedy are ongoing.
“We lost our child, our daughter, Martha. She died mysteriously. Very many people die a normal death, but it's painful for a young girl to die like that. As parents we are sad about that,” he said.
“So if you lose a child and someone is mocking you online, you are really pushing us to the extreme. There is what we call humanity, which is part of being Godly. If you cannot have humanity for such moments, when will you have that,” he asked.
Several social media platforms had been awash with varying accounts of the cause of the sudden death of Ahumuza, including by suspected poisoning.
Earlier accounts
But Mr Brian Kambaho, a cousin of Ahumuza, told mourners on Saturday that she died from internal brain bleeding.
Mr Kambaho, who spoke during the funeral service at All Saints Church Nakasero in Kampala, said he was the first person to reach the scene of crime after he received a phone call from a friend at 5am.
Mr Kambaho said he continued to Kampala Hospital where he signed as Ahumuza’s, next of kin before she was taken into the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.
The family of the late Martha Ahumuza Murari lays a wreath on the casket containing her remains in Mbarara District on March 23, 2025. PHOTO/ JULIUS BYAMUKAMA
“I asked the doctors many questions because Martha was on life support. I also called another cousin, Matthew, to come. The doctors explained to us how the brain scan showed she had bled from inside her brain, which claimed her life,” Mr Kambaho said.
Several people from local governments, the central government, army and police officers, family, relatives and friends attended the service in Kampala.
Police speak out
The police are holding four suspects to help with investigations into the sudden death of Ahumuza.
Mr Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, informed this publication the police forensic pathologists conducted a postmortem and officials from the Government Analytical Laboratory (GAL) have picked up samples of the internal organs of the deceased but have not yet issued any report on their findings.
“We informed the parents about the pending results and requested them to continue with the burial programme as we wait for the official results,” he said.
Mr Onyango said they have four suspects in custody.
“The minor two suspects shall benefit from a police bond and we remain with two who are the prime suspects as the investigations into the matter continue,” he added.
Mr Onyango did not specify the line of inquiry the police are pursuing regarding the sudden death.
BACKGROUND
Martha Ahumuza Murari was born on February 13, 2002, to Mr Isaiah Berah Murari and Barbara Kagonyera of Nyarubanga Parish in Mbarara District. She studied at Hillside Naalya and Vienna College for secondary education and later joined ISBAT University in Kampala where she graduated in 2024 with a degree in International Business. Enoch Owomugisha, a sibling, described Ahumuza as someone inspirational. “I liked her fashion and if something could not work out, she could instantly think of something better. She would tell us words of wisdom. One day she told me that where happiness is, the devil is also there. We were all happy to live and have a life with her and suddenly this just happened,” he said.
