Joshua Ajuna, the Makerere University student who was found dead on Sunday night, reportedly discussed death and suicide with his friends, years before he ended his life.

On Sunday, September 16^th, the fourth year Forestry student was found dead in his room next to what appeared like a suicide note to his father saying he had taken his own life for personal reasons.

Police sources later said Ajuna had taken poison. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire told journalists that scene of Crime officers recovered a bottle of suspected Poison and took to the Government Analytical Laboratory for tests.

Three days after his death, one of his friends, Ignatius Anxious, says Ajuna had “a negative attitude towards life.” Anxious says that when he met Ajuna in their first year, the deceased used to tell him that he had no essence of life on earth.

“What I can remember very well is that Ajuna used to tell me that he has no reason to live on this earth. He was like ‘what am I doing here, I am supposed to die‘.

Anxious says Ajuna continued saying the same things in second and third years of study. “But we thought he was joking,” Anxious narrates.

According to Anxious, Ajuna was a brilliant student who used to read ahead but strangely he used to read a lot of scaring literature about death both from novels and on internet.

“He a used to send me some videos about death and I could not admit them because I am a Catholic who cannot divert from Christian principles.” Anxious asserts.

Asked if this could have influenced Ajuna to end his life, Anxious said that the deceased had some spectacular ideas about life. He said Ajuna was known for being a highly knowledgeable student who maintained first class degree right from the time he joined Makerere University. His classmates know him for helping them in areas of research and information during their class assignments.

Ajuna attended Kampala Parents for his primary education and Uganda Martyrs Namugongo for his secondary education. He joined Makerere University in 2015 to study a degree in Forestry Conservation and Products Engineering.

Suicide at Makerere

Ajuna’s is the latest in a list of suicide cases reported at Makerere University over the past eight years.

These include that of 23-year-old Francis Kigenyi, a final year student of Social Sciences who ended his life by jumping from the 5^th floor of Baskon Hostel in April 2011. He died instantly.

Seven months later, in November 2011, two students committed suicide on different dates by jumping off a balcony at Mary Stuart Hall. They included Emmanuel Kagina, a second year student of Arts and Hassan Muganzi, a second year student of information technology.