Deeply indebted man, 35, found hanging dead

Jinja, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  35 year old Baligasima Wambi, a resident of Idogolo village in Northern division, Jinja city is suspected to have committed suicide by strangulation over accumulated debts from money lenders.

The deceased’s lifeless body was retrieved behind his house, where it was hanging on a guava tree in Thursday at around 11:00am.

Samuel Nabongo, the deceased’s cousin, says that Wambi was chocking on debts but they weren’t in position to help him. Wambi “It is true that he was facing pressure from money lenders over unspecified sums of money accrued over time,” he says.

The deceased’s neighbour, Frida Namwase, says that Wambi told her how he was harboring suicide thoughts after facing pressure from money lenders.

“For a period of two months now, Wambi has been telling me how money lenders had threatened to imprison him over a 3 million shillings debt and he preferred killing himself rather than spending the rest of his life in jail,” she says.

She adds, “We tried to comfort him but I was shocked to discover that he committed suicide.”

Stella Otim, the village vice chairperson, says that there is a group of rowdy youth who indulge themselves in drug abuse and are fond of making sensational decisions like physically harming themselves.

Meanwhile Abbey Ngako, the Kiira region police spokesperson says that, the deceased has been taken to Jinja regional referral hospital mortuary as they intensify inquiries into allegations that, Wambi took his own life over debts.

Ngako further warns money lenders against pressurizing debtors, saying they should instead advise them to pay their debts in installments, as most of them incurred losses during the lockdown and are unable to meet their expected payment schedules.

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