The student, Onesmus Alinda, was reportedly found dead on Saturday night in a sugarcane plantation in Kitagwenda District under circumstances that remain under police investigation.
The head teacher of Kitagwenda High School, Simon Ahimbisibwe, said the school had on several occasions observed behaviour that prompted concern and led to efforts aimed at offering additional support and involving the family.
“On several occasions, the student would escape from school and go to a nearby sugarcane plantation where he would cut sugarcane and carry it back to school,” Ahimbisibwe said.
He said the school management had discussed possible next steps with the family, but also opted to keep the student in school while support measures were explored.
“We had reached a decision to call his parents and request them to take him home because of his condition. However, one of the teachers volunteered to provide him with guidance and counselling, and we allowed him to continue with his studies,” he added.
The deceased’s father, Emmanuel Baguma, said his son had previously undergone treatment for mental health challenges and had shown signs of improvement in recent months.
“My son had a history of mental illness and received treatment at KIU Hospital in Ishaka. He had improved, and since the beginning of this year, I had not received any information suggesting that the illness had returned,” Baguma said.
Family members and residents described Alinda as a young man whose condition had appeared to stabilise before the incident that led to his death.
Police said investigations into the murder are ongoing as they work to establish the exact circumstances and identify those responsible for the killing.
Alinda will be laid to rest at his ancestral home in Mahyoro, Kitagwenda District.