Residents stunned as man fakes own death to test family, friends

When Richard Kavuma, a 45-year-old businessman and a resident of Tilibogo Village in Mpigi District announced himself dead last week, he only wanted to establish if he is genuinely loved by his family,  friends and relatives.

A section of the leaders and residents in Mudduma Sub County in Mpigi District shared mixed reactions over the act of faking death even when the people who were involved later clarified why they chose to act against societal norms.

Mr Musa Kakembo, the Mudduma Sub County chairperson describes Kavuma as a hardworking man in his business and farm projects. He says the news about Kavuma's so-called 'death' reached him as he attended a function on Saturday.

“I immediately rushed to Tilibogo Village to go and meet the bereaved family. I could not believe my eyes when I met Kavuma seated at his shop together with other people. I had hurriedly left the function to go and help the family with the burial arrangements,” he told the Monitor on Tuesday.

Mr Kakembo said all individuals have a right to act in ways that they feel best suit their lives as long as the acts do not harm other people.

“The act of announcing his own death helped him find out the people that love him most, but to the other members of society, the act was against the expected behavior of a person of his status,” he said.

Ms Diana Nalweyiso, a resident at Tilibogo Village says while the act of faking own death is not good since the news can have far reaching effects on certain people such as shock, Kavuma possibly got what he wanted to find out from his relatives and friends.

“The truth could be that some family members possibly knew about Kavuma’s plan and this explains why they never turned up. But Kavuma took the initiative to explain to everybody who turned up in response to the shocking news that he only wanted to know the people that love him and those who do not care,” she said.

But Kavuma, in a brief interview, explained that it was not the first time he had attempted to fake his own death. He revealed that his intention was just to find out how people would respond, to see those who care especially the relatives and friends.

“My first time was when I wanted to find out how my wife would respond, but indeed I got to know how she behaved. She did not mind even when we were in the same bed,” he said.

Kavuma said that all his friends and relatives who never showed up after learning about his ‘’death’’ are just hypocrites who do not appreciate the love and care that he extends to them.

“So for my own children and wives that never turned up when they received the sad news, I have already taken a decision against them. They do not love me,” he said.

Kavuma, through a friend he did not disclose, pronounced himself dead when he spread the information to friends and relatives on September 23, 2023. It later emerged that Kavuma just wanted find out how his close relatives and friends would respond.