A 41- year- old shoemaker in Wakiso district has been found dead in his rented room in suspected hunger.
The deceased is identified as Justus Ssempa, a single father of two boys who also doubles as a resident of Kawafu cell Abaita Ababiri, Katabi Town Council in Entebbe Municipality Wakiso district. He was found lying dead in his room on Saturday morning.
According to residents, the deceased may have died of hunger since he did not have food because he has not been working since June 18 when the 42-day lockdown was announced by President Museveni.
“He used to move from door to door mending shoes but ever since the lockdown was announced, residents were stopped from moving to other people’s homes. He has not been able to move to people’s homes and therefore, he has not been earning money to feed for himself and his two boys,” the area LC I chairperson Daniel Makoba said.
Makoba blamed Ssempa’s death on government set stringent lockdown measures and the delayed provision of Covid-19 relief package promised by Prime Minister Robinnah Nabbanja to Ugandans.
Sam Kavubu, the deceased landlord said he (Sempa) recently lost consciousness due to starvation and was only saved by a neighbor who offered him milk which he drank before he could gain conscious.
“Last evening I called on him and he said he would be okay. I was shocked this morning when one of his sons he stayed with came and told my wife that his father was unconscious again. When I came I found him dead,” Kavuma said.
This publication learned that Ssempa’s younger son aged 4yrs was adopted by a generous neighbour who provided them food while the other, aged about eight would only return in the evening to sleep.
The area police was contacted to pick the body which later asked Entebbe COVID-19 task force to pick the body for further examinations.
The OC Abaita Ababiri police station Gilbert Byesigye said investigations were underway to establish Sempa’s cause of death.
“As police we had to inform the Covid task force at Entebbe hospital to come and take away the body since we are not sure of the cause of death. Some residents are saying it is hunger while others think it could be the dreaded Covid-19,” he said.
By the time of compiling this report, a postmortem report had not been released.
