The postmortem report on Ms. Amongin Francisca has revealed a cause of death that every student living in hostel or rental accommodation needs to read carefully.
Makerere University’s Students’ Guild has released the postmortem findings in the death of Ms. Amongin Francisca, a student registered under number 24/U/22669, confirming that she died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In a letter dated May 11, 2026 and signed by Owen Nasasira, Minister for Students’ Affairs, the Guild informed the student body that the postmortem report revealed Ms. Amongin died of suffocation caused by oxygen deprivation and inhalation of harmful gases — specifically carbon monoxide poisoning.
The incident is believed to have resulted from leaving a stove on inside a poorly ventilated room with the door and windows closed.
Ms. Amongin will be laid to rest on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM at Aninolal Village, Inomo Sub-county, Kwania District — her ancestral home.
Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless, and kills silently. You cannot smell it. You cannot see it. By the time it reaches dangerous concentrations in a closed room, it is often too late.
The circumstances of Ms. Amongin’s death — a stove left on, a room sealed shut — are not unusual. Across Kampala’s student rentals and hostels, thousands of students cook in small, poorly ventilated rooms every single day, often closing windows and doors for privacy, warmth, or security.
If you cook in your room, these are non-negotiable:
Keep at least one window open whenever a gas stove, charcoal stove, or any open flame is in use. Never leave a lit stove unattended and then sleep or leave the room with it running. Never cook in a fully sealed room. If you feel sudden dizziness, nausea, or unusual fatigue while cooking — get out immediately and get fresh air.
Carbon monoxide poisoning does not give you a second chance to correct the mistake.
To her family, friends, and classmates — the entire Makerere community stands with you.
Ms. Amongin Francisca was a student. She had a registration number, a room, classmates who knew her name, and a home in Kwania District that is now receiving her back under the most painful circumstances imaginable.
May she rest in peace.
