Lawrence Opesen, a 21-year-old student at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), was tragically discovered dead more than two weeks after he was involved in a fatal road crash. The devastating news sent shockwaves through the community, leaving friends and family mourning the loss of a promising young individual.
Details of the incident emerged through a heart-wrenching message circulated on WhatsApp. “We lost him. The camera footage at Nakawa lights showed he was knocked down by a trailer,” the message stated, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding Opesen’s untimely demise. The community joined in expressing condolences, praying for his soul to rest in peace and for strength to be granted to his grieving family during this difficult time.
Opesen’s identity took on greater significance as it was revealed that he was the son of Dr. Felix Ocom, the Deputy Director of Mulago Institute of Public Health. The painful discovery of his death at the City mortuary compounded the sorrow felt by those who knew him and his family.
The 2003 born died on April 20th but was only discovered two weeks later. He will be buried in Bukedea on 9th May.
According to the Uganda Police Force (UPF) Annual Report of 2021, a 42% increase was observed in the number of road traffic crashes, from 12,249 in 2020 to 17,443 in 2021. During that period, 3757 crashes were fatal, and 4616 were minor.