A man in Jinja district has allegedly committed suicide by poisoning after suspecting his girlfriend of dumping him.
The deceased is 48-year-old Jafari Kuneena, a resident of Lwanyama village in Buyengo sub-county, Jinja district.
Kuneena allegedly decided to take his own life after discovering voice notes on his girlfriend’s WhatsApp, in which she expressed admiration for another man.
This led to a disagreement between the love birds on Monday. Kuneena then asked his girlfriend to leave his house and went to a retail shop, where he purchased rat poison.
He mixed the poison with his food, consumed it, and fell asleep.
Concerned neighbors noticed that Kuneena had unusually fallen asleep early and contacted local leaders.
They obtained permission to forcefully open the front door of his house and rushed him to a private clinic.
However, Kuneena passed away on Tuesday. The girlfriend, whose identity is unknown, has reportedly gone into hiding out of fear of the community backlash.
Kuneena’s body is lying at Buwenge Health Center IV mortuary pending postmortem examination before being handed over to his family for burial.
A health worker, speaking anonymously, revealed severe damage to Kuneena’s liver, kidneys, and small intestines, which may have caused his death.
Swaibu Kiwaala, the area LC 1 chairperson, revealed that Kuneena confessed to the poisoning incident while on his sickbed. Unfortunately, his condition worsened in the morning, leading to his passing.
Kiwaala urged the public to find alternative means of resolving relationship disputes instead of resorting to suicide.
He emphasized that suicide creates long-lasting misunderstandings among the deceased’s family members, the community, and friends.
James Mubi, the Kiira Region police spokesperson, says that cases of infidelity, extramarital relationships, and mistrust are significant contributors to suicide in their jurisdiction.
She, however, noted that many cases go unreported due to concerns about tarnishing the deceased’s family image.
Mubi mentioned that the Police Child and Family Protection Unit has scheduled daily sessions to sensitize couples on managing relationship challenges.