Uganda may be significantly undercounting suicide deaths, with experts warning that weak surveillance systems, stigma, and fragmented research have left the country without a clear picture of the crisis.
Globally, about 700,000 people die by suicide each year, with 77 percent of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
Uganda reports 4.6 deaths per 100,000 people — a figure specialists say likely represents only a fraction of the actual burden.
Dr Samuel Maling, a professor of psychiatry at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, says the absence of nationwide research makes effective intervention nearly impossible.
"To implement any intervention regarding a health problem, we need data from research. There are researchers in Uganda who have studied suicide, but most of this work covers only small parts of the country," he said.
"The gap is that we lack statistics from different regions. Comprehensive data would allow us to identify which regions carry the heaviest burden and why. Many suicide attempts and deaths are never reported, so the numbers we have are only a fraction of the actual burden."
Dr Maling added that even recorded cases conceal a deeper reality because many attempts and deaths never reach official records.
Uganda also faces a shortage of specialists trained specifically in suicide prevention, despite having mental health professionals.
"The country has a number of mental health specialists, but few dedicate themselves to handling suicide as an area of specialization," said Prof Celestino Obua, former vice-chancellor at MUST.
"Those who do often focus only on depression. To address this gap, we aim to train frontline health workers to take on the additional role of educating communities and managing individuals with suicidal ideation.
"This requires basic counselling skills rather than extensive medical treatment. We are piloting this approach in Ntungamo District, using ‘suicide prevention champions’ to demonstrate how frontline workers can help reduce suicide in communities."
To support these efforts, a suicide prevention training manual launched in 2025 will train frontline health workers and community actors to detect warning signs, provide counselling, improve reporting, and raise awareness.
"Men and young people are most affected," Dr Maling noted.
The intervention is being implemented through a partnership between Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Ntungamo District Local Government.
Ntungamo will serve as a pilot site, where authorities hope that identifying unreported cases and offering early counselling will reveal the true scale of suicide and inform national response strategies.
