Pallisa, Uganda | Pallisa District woke to grief on Tuesday morning after the body of James Walwasa, known in the community as Ekomol, was found hanging from a mango tree about 100 meters from his home in Ocupai village, Kameke sub-county.
Walwasa was not a stranger to anyone in Kameke Secondary School. For more than 25 years he had served in the school’s security department, and over time became what teachers described as the school’s unofficial counselor.
The first sign that something was wrong came from William Asabat, the LC1 chairperson of Ocupai village. Asabat said he had spoken with Walwasa on Monday evening and requested his intervetion over matter to be shared at the deceased’s home (Walwasa).
He said unfortunately on Tuesday morning as he heading tot his home to discuss critical issues with secretary for education, health and environment in the village executive, he was welcomed by mourning alarms.
“I informed the LC3 chairperson, Vincent Oluka Epokeom being the chairperson security and we went to report the incident to police,” Asabat said.
By the time officials arrived, community members had already gathered around the scene, and Asabat noted that the presence of the crowd made it impossible to use a police sniffer dog to trace Walwasa’s movements.
At Kameke SS, news of the death hit hard. Speaking on behalf of the school, teacher Robert Okia said staff were struggling to understand what could have led to it.
“He was the most committed person we had,” Okia said. “Even with his level of education, he counseled teachers and students. We respected him.”
He added that this was the second loss for the school in two months, following the death of teacher Iculet Angela Rose in June 2026, and asked the community to keep the school in prayer.
Pallisa District Police Commander Patience Namara led the homicide team to the scene. She first addressed residents, urging them not to take their own lives when faced with problems and asking them to allow police to do their work.
When the body was lowered, detectives observed details that did not match what they would expect in a typical hanging case. There were no protruding eyes, no protruding tongue, and no signs of fecal matter or urine. The rope knot was also at the front. Because of these observations, Namara said the case needed closer examination and ordered that the body be taken to Pallisa General Hospital for postmortem.
“This is a criminal issue and calls for no negotiations,” she told the gathering. “If our findings confirm suicide, we will take statements and release the body. If not, we proceed with postmortem.”
That decision was not immediately accepted by some relatives, who said they did not want a postmortem because of the cost.
LC3 Chairperson Oluka stepped in, asking the community to allow the process. He said a relative, Amigos Osire, had agreed to cover transport costs.
Even as police began their work, different accounts of Walwasa’s last hours emerged. David Tukei said he had taken drinks with Walwasa the previous evening and that Walwasa was in his work uniform, planning to report to school at 5am. Another resident, who asked not to be named, claimed there had been a quarrel the night before between Walwasa, his wife, and one of their sons.
For now, police say the cause of death will only be confirmed after postmortem results are released. The community in Ocupai and the staff at Kameke SS are left waiting for answers.