Student’s Note Raises Questions as Police Probe Naalya SS Death

A handwritten note recovered after the death of a Senior Four student at Naalya Senior Secondary School, Bweyogerere Campus, has emerged as a key focus of police investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The note, believed to have been written by the deceased, Naish Trevor Mamuz, reportedly expressed feelings of emotional distress, saying he was tired of suffering with parents who did not listen to him or show him love.

According to the school’s spokesperson, Dr John Bossa, the note was recovered after police opened the toilet where the student had been found. In the handwritten note, the student reportedly said he had decided to end his life because his parents did not listen to him and that he felt different from other children.

Dr Bossa said the student had been unwell in recent months and had been allowed to return home for treatment before resuming school about a week earlier. He added that the student had appeared to have settled back into school life, performing well academically and interacting normally with classmates, making his death a shock to both staff and students.

However, Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire urged the public to avoid concluding, saying investigators are still verifying both the circumstances surrounding the student’s death and the authenticity of the note.

“The note has been secured and is being examined as part of the investigation. We want to establish whether he indeed took his own life or not. We do not want people to speculate at this stage. We shall also establish whether the note was written by him or by someone else,” Owoyesigyire said.

The student’s mother, Vivian Lekuru, said the family was too distraught to comment, noting that they would wait for the outcome of the police investigations before speaking publicly.

The discovery of the note comes amid growing concern over the increasing number of student deaths reported in schools and universities in recent years.

Education stakeholders have repeatedly cited academic pressure, family expectations, and inadequate access to mental health and counselling services as some of the factors contributing to emotional distress among learners. They continue to call for stronger school-based counselling programmes and greater attention to students’ mental wellbeing