Stella Nyanzi, an exiled academic and activist, has identified a man who collapsed and died in public as her cousin, David Kitagenda Magezi, after a video of the incident circulated widely on social media.
Nyanzi said she spoke out to ensure the deceased was not treated as an unidentified person.
“It is with deep shock that I announce the sudden death of my gentle cousin David Kitagenda Magezi,” she wrote, adding, “He is not a stranger. He is my cousin.”
According to her statement, Magezi collapsed while loading shopping into his car at a busy market in Kampala and died at the scene.
She said she reposted the video to confirm his identity and emphasise that he had family and community ties.
“David Kitagenda Magezi is my cousin. If nobody else knows him, I am claiming him,” she wrote, adding that he was “a son, a brother, a husband, a father and a cousin to human beings.”
Local media reports say the incident happened at Bulamu Village along Kampala–Mityana Road on Saturday afternoon.
A video that circulated on social media showed the lifeless body of Magezi lying beside his Toyota Fielder registration number UBK 765Y, as dozens of stunned onlookers gathered at the scene.
Pulse news portal reported that a man who recorded the footage said Magezi had just finished purchasing groceries from a nearby market.
Witnesses said he was packing the items into the boot of his vehicle when he suddenly collapsed.
Magezi was the eldest son of the late Frederick F. Magezi and Marjorie Magezi of Magezi Close in Muyenga Tankhill. His father previously served as Executive Director of the National Insurance Corporation.
He was described as a longtime hotel manager and an active Christian involved in church life.
Nyanzi portrayed him as a gentle and attentive person committed to serving others.
Authorities had not issued an official statement on the incident by press time, and the cause of death had not been confirmed.
Reports from residents indicate that Magezi collapsed and died at Bulamu village along the Kampala–Mityana road while loading items into his car after shopping at a market.
Funeral arrangements for Magezi had not yet been announced.
