‘He died helpless’- Details of Makerere student who died at staff quarters emerge

On Monday, we reported an incident where a 2nd-year Mechanical Engineering student, Michael Otira’s body was found decomposing in staff quarters. Otira has also been working in the Transport Department at the Civil Aviation Authority in Entebbe since 2011.

Yesterday night, The Police pathologist at the KCCA Mortuary in Mulago hospital released post mortem results that indicated Michael suffered a slow cerebral hemorrhage death (a copious or heavy discharge of blood from the blood vessels in the brain).

“With the bunch of pain killers found in his pockets, he must have been undergoing a lot of stress that would sometimes cause him acute headache,” brother to the deceased said.

The results also proved that Otira breathed his last 72 hrs before police found his body literally translating that he died on Saturday. More samples have been sent to the Government Analytical Laboratory (GAL) to confirm the pathology.

How Otira died

According to the Assistant police Detective; Otira could have been saved if a one Opio his friend was allowed to access his room on Friday. On Friday, Opio was at Makerere from where the land lady (staff member at CEDAT) denied him access to Otira’s room which she had padlocked.

Otira’s schedule has always been plotting between Entebbe and Makerere something which the land lady was quite conversant with. On Friday (31st March) when she realized the room was locked without a padlock, she locked it without bothering to call the tenant (Otira). Little did she know the horror behind the door she locked. Otira had struggled to call for help but his phone scattered meters away with the battery in the west and the phone in the

Otira had struggled to call for help but his phone scattered meters away with the battery in the west and the phone in the south-east. With the little energy he had remained with, he tried to reach for them but couldn’t- crawling like a snake he tried to move out of the room dropping one of his shoes outside and banging the door but no one could come to his rescue.

The land lady continued denying room access to Opio whose instincts were double indicating something quite unusual. Opio tried so hard to contact Otira’s wife who is also a 1st year student at MAK but the wife didn’t seem bothered as she was assured her husband was last seen at work on Wednesday (29th March).

It’s on Monday when Opio stormed the Makerere Police prompting them to break through the door and find out why there was a pungent smell and flies all over his friend’s room. They were shocked to find Otira’s body decomposing on the floor.

Otira’s body was taken to Laliya, Gulu district last Tuesday from where he will be buried this afternoon.

We would like to express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. May his soul RIP.