Natasha Byengyera of the class of 2015-2021 took her life on Sunday, June 6.
Byengyera, also known as ‘Tasha’, had earlier posted on her Twitter handle, @ass_tasha, that she intended to take her life.
“Anyone please tell me the easiest way to commit suicide,” she tweeted on Sunday.
She later posted pictures of tablets she possibly swallowed to end her life on earth.
“Suicide, death, giving up, tired earth, goodbye, done,” she tweeted.
Some of Byengyera’s followers pleaded with her to avoid committing suicide.
“People who genuinely care about you are going to be so devastated from this. Suicide is a curse, it never leaves a family when it gets in,” said a one Mey-tha.
“So if you do this, someone else in your family will do it too and it’ll continue Babe please don’t do this, we are here for you, talk to us.”
Moments later, Byengyera was pronounced dead.
The deceased’s body will this Tuesday be taken to the family’s ancestral home in Lyantonde, 4kms off Kaguta road for burial on June 9.
“On behalf of the school of law administration on the students’ community at Makerere University, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Natasha’s beloved family and her close friends,” said Grace Waiswa, president Makerere Law Society in a statement on June 7.
Suicide cases have been on the rise in Uganda.
Police registered 275 suicide cases between January and June 2020, compared to the previous year’s 224 cases in the same period.
Most of these cases were prevalent in Lwengo, Rukungiri, Tororo and Nakaseke among others.
Deputy Police spokesperson Polly Namaye attributed the rapid rise in suicide cases to frustration, anxiety and anger caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Most people have not been working. Some of them, their businesses have slowed down so poverty is on the increase. We think that this could be one of the reasons that has led to the increase in suicide cases in the country,” she said.
Namaye also attributed the surge in suicide cases to stress and rejection by family members among others.
Byengyera did not explain why she took her life. But she had told her social media followers that she needed “help” – without delving into details.
Source – chimpreports.com
