By Robert Segawa
Police in Kiboga District are investigating the suspected suicide of a 15-year-old girl who was found dead after drowning in a neighbour’s dam.
The deceased has been identified as Nanyonjo Priscilla, a Senior Three student at Bukomero Secondary School and daughter of Nalugwa Fatuma, a resident of Temanakali Village in Bukomero Sub-county, Kiboga District.
According to the Wamala Regional Police spokesperson, Lameck Kigozi, preliminary investigations indicate that the incident followed a disagreement between the teenager and her mother on Tuesday morning.
Kigozi said the mother asked her daughter why she was not preparing to go to school. The girl reportedly replied that she had washed her school uniform before leaving the house in an apparent state of distress.
She is said to have crossed the road to a neighbouring property belonging to Mr. Kinalwa John, who resides in Kampala and owns a dam on the land.
“The mother immediately followed her but only found her shoes abandoned on the shore of the dam,” Kigozi said.
The girl had reportedly already entered the water. The mother raised an alarm, attracting residents, including the village chairperson, who later reported the incident to police.
Police officers visited and documented the scene, recorded witness statements, and recovered a pair of shoes from the edge of the dam. Investigators established that the dam is approximately nine feet deep.
The body of Nanyonjo Priscilla was retrieved from the water, identified by relatives, and examined at the scene before being released to the family for burial.
According to her mother, the deceased had no known history of mental illness.
Police say investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death are ongoing.
Kigozi also appealed to owners of dams and other water reservoirs to improve safety measures.
“We appeal to people who own dams and other water reservoirs to secure them properly because they pose a danger to members of the public if left unsecured,” he said.
