Pharmacist commits suicide after exposure selling government drugs

Police in Jinja is investigating circumstances under which a pharmacist at Kiruddu hospital in Kampala committed suicide.

Richard Olaja (27) was pronounced dead on Saturday morning after dosing himself with a yet to be identified substance.

The Kira region Police spokesperson Diana Nandawula confirmed the death of the medic saying they had picked him from Lucky Guest House and taken him to Jinja hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

She revealed that the management of Lucky Guest house contacted police that one their clients who checked in the previous day was unconscious before rushing him to Jinja hospital where he was pronounced dead.

She said the body had been taken for postmortem analysis to determine the exact cause of the pharmacist’s death.

Olaja was one of the medics captured on camera in the NBS investigative story titled “Stealing from the sick” which unearthed the illicit sale of government drugs.

Police say the deceased left several suicide notes that he addressed to family and friends before he allegedly dosed himself with the killer substance that took his life.

In one of the notes addressed to his mother, Olaja denied he had been involved in the illicit sale of government drugs. He claimed that he had been set up by a friend who he warned to stay away from his funeral.

Below is one of the suicide notes in full. (PLEASE NOTE THIS COULD BE A DISTRESSING READ)

To mum

Mummy I loved you so much and will always love you.

I thank you for bringing me to this world. I think I have had enough of it it’s now my time to leave.

Mummy tell my little brother precious never to get any friend because all the suffering am going through is because of someone I took as a friend who set up journalists to come to me and claim they wanted to buy drugs.

Mummy this I will swear to you with tears in my eyes that I have never sold any medicines or drugs to anyone at any point in my profession.

Mummy I tried hard to avoid them but they insisted. Mummy 120 caused all this to me.

Thanks your beloved Richard.

I am sorry for the pain I am going to make you go through but mummy take care of Precious.