By Norbert Mao
The Territorial Police in Kwania district are investigating a case of suspected self-immolation, an action of setting fire to oneself, especially as a form of protest that occurred on February, 24th in Opokwele Village, Atongtidi Sub-county.
The deceased has been identified as Ogwang William, a 73-year-old resident of the same village and a lumberman by occupation.
Preliminary findings indicate that the deceased allegedly locked himself inside his house with a ten-litre jerrican containing petrol and set himself ablaze.
Police reports suggest that prior to the incident, the deceased had sold a piece of land to one Ayoo Calvin and received an installment payment of UGX 1.2M shillings without the consent of his family, money that the deceased reportedly used.
It is further alleged that the deceased’s children later denied the buyer access to the land, prompting the buyer to file a complaint at Atongtidi sub-county police station.
The deceased was summoned and agreed to refund the money on February, 24th.
However, after reportedly failing to raise the amount, he is said to have written a note before setting himself on fire using petrol earlier procured for his lumbering activities.
A handwritten note was recovered from inside the house. In it, the deceased reportedly cautioned one of his daughters, identified as Adur, not to touch his body and directed the family to refund the UGX 1.2 million to Ayoo Calvin.
The North Kyoga Regional Police Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, ASP Patrick Jimmy Okema confirmed the incident and urged members of the public to seek peaceful and lawful means of resolving domestic and land-related disputes.
This is not the first time such incident is being reported in the country. On February 26, 2025, Benjamin Agaba, a supporter of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, died following a self-immolation protest outside the Parliament of Uganda in Kampala.
The Uganda Police Force reported 218 cases of attempted suicide in 2024 and there were 165 reported cases of attempted suicide in 2023.This represents a 26% increase in reported cases between 2023 and 2024.
Northern Uganda and Lango Sub Region continues to face high rates of suicide, with 59 deaths and 190 attempts recorded in refugee settlements in 2024 alone.
