Police in Wakiso have launched an investigation into the death of Hawa Nantongo, a 19-year-old student from Wampeewo Senior Secondary School, who was found hanging from a tree a few meters from the school premises.
The incident occurred on Saturday, June 8, in the afternoon, shortly after Nantongo had a meeting with her mother and school teachers.
According to police reports, the meeting focused on a disagreement between Nantongo and her mother over her academic stream. Nantongo’s mother had been insisting she switch from an Arts combination to a Science combination, specifically from Divinity, Economics, and Luganda (DEL) to Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics (BCM). Nantongo, however, disagreed with the switch.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire stated that the distressed teenager had sought solace from her teachers, confiding in the school counselor, who then called for a meeting with both parties on the day of the incident.
During the meeting, the mother allegedly insisted that she would only pay for school fees if Nantongo switched to the BCM combination, even if it meant repeating Senior Six.
After the meeting, Nantongo suddenly disappeared, prompting school authorities to search for her. Tragically, she was found dead, hanging from a rope in her school uniform.
Owoyesigyire noted that the police are treating the incident as a suspected suicide, pending the results of a postmortem examination. “We cannot for sure say that she hanged herself until the postmortem proves otherwise,” he said.
He also stated that exam periods often see increased pressure on students from parents and schools, which can lead to tragic outcomes.
“During exams, we registered cases of suicide because of pressure coming from parents and sometimes schools. The continuous pressure is what we suspect could have led to this,” Owoyesigyire added.
He has appealed to parents and schools to be mindful of the pressures they place on students.
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