Rakai journalist dies after taking herbicide, leaves behind suicide note

Police in Rakai District are investigating circumstances under which a journalist attached to Kooki Broadcasting Services (KBS) reportedly committed suicide.

Brian Kasibante, 26, is said to have written a suicide note on Tuesday informing his friends and relatives about his decision before drinking paraquat, a toxic chemical that is widely used as an herbicide (plant killer), primarily for weed and grass control.

He breathed his last on Wednesday morning at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital where he had been rushed on Tuesday evening to receive treatment.

One of Kasibante’s work colleagues, Mr Nicholas Kakeeto said he [Kasibante] had been having frequent disagreements with his two wives, which he believes could be the reason he decided to take his own life.

“He has been telling us stories of the disagreements with his wives, but we thought this was a simple matter and we actually ignored it. When we learnt that he had decided to drink a herbicide (paraquat) to die, we were so shocked,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

“He sent several messages before writing a note where he advised police not to investigate the matter or arrest anyone since it was his decision to end his own life,” Mr Kakeeto added.

“I have been talking to him daily but had no idea he was troubled. I last saw a write up on his WhatsApp status talking about how he was going to commit suicide, I tried calling him, but his phones were off, something that worried us the most,” Ms Betty Nabichu, a news anchor at the same station said.

A health worker at the hospital, who preferred anonymity said Kasibante consumed about 30ml of paraquat that disorganised his whole body system. 

According to a Ministry of Health survey conducted among 4,660 adults in 14 Ugandan districts, 15 percent of respondents had tried to commit suicide and 12 percent had done so within one year prior to the 2016 survey.

However, the actual number is even thought to be bigger.

“The cultural attitudes towards suicide contribute to the difficulties of obtaining data,” the survey showed.

A recent report from the Uganda Counselling Association (UCA), and the Ministry of Health, reveals that 14 million Ugandans are mentally ill, which translates to 35 in 100 Ugandans battling a mental health problem.

In most Ugandan communities, suicide is a taboo. A person who hangs him or herself is usually denied a decent burial.