A 15-year-old Senior Three student of Bukomero Secondary School has drowned herself in a neighbour’s dam in Temanakali village, Bukomero Sub County, Kiboga District, following a disagreement with her mother.
The deceased, identified as Nanyonjo Priscilla, was the daughter of Nalugwa Fatuma. Police said the incident happened on July 14, 2026, after a brief disagreement between the teenager and her mother over school attendance.
According to police reports, the events started at around 6:00am when Priscilla’s mother asked her why she was not preparing to go to school. The girl reportedly responded that she had already washed her school uniform and, appearing unhappy, walked away from her mother and left the house.
She then crossed the road to a neighbour’s compound where there is a dam belonging to Mr Kinalwa John, who was reportedly away in Kampala at the time.
Her mother followed her shortly after, but upon reaching the dam, she only found her daughter’s shoes abandoned on the shoreline. It was later discovered that Priscilla had already jumped into the water.
The mother raised an alarm, attracting residents, including the area village chairman, who informed police about the incident. Police officers visited the scene, recorded statements from witnesses, and recovered a pair of shoes believed to have belonged to the deceased.
The dam, which was approximately nine feet deep, was searched and the girl’s body was eventually retrieved. Police confirmed that the body was identified as that of Nanyonjo Priscilla before a postmortem examination was conducted at the scene and the remains were handed over to relatives for burial arrangements.
Police said the teenager had no known history of mental illness and had been raised by her mother. The circumstances surrounding her decision to take her own life remain unclear, leaving family members and the community searching for answers about what might have been troubling her before the tragic incident.
The Wamala Region Police spokesperson, SSP L Kigozi, said investigations into the matter are ongoing and urged members of the public to take precautions by securing dams and other water reservoirs to prevent similar tragedies.
He also warned that unsecured water sources can pose serious risks, especially to children and vulnerable members of the community.
