Like most university students, Imulani Mpalanyi, a third-year student of Muteesa I Royal University, rolled up his sleeves and went out to look for a part time job as he studies.
He would then get employed at Ivy Hotel in Rubaga at a waiter, along side his evening studies. Little did he know he would meet his death there.
The lifeless body of the 25-year-old who has been a student of Tourism and Hotel Management, was discovered by hotel staff at midnight on Sunday.
Eye witnesses say that upon discovery of the body, the hotel manager, only identified as William, telephoned the deceased’s close friend, Tonny Kasule, informing him about the incident.
Kasule, who reportedly secured the part-time job for Mpalanyi, rushed to the hotel accompanied by a few friends.
They were later joined by Mpalanyi’s family members. At the gate, only Kasule was allowed in to verify if it was his friend’s body.
Mpalanyi’s body lay at the bottom of the swimming pool near the edge, only dressed in underpants, with his shoes and hotel service uniform on the pool-side.
Officers from Lungujja Police Post retrieved the body from the pool at around 2am and took it to the Mulago hospital mortuary.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango yesterday confirmed the incident.
“We have retrieved the CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) camera to verify whether he drowned by accident or not,” Mr Onyango said.
The police publicist said Mr Mpalanyi had ended his shift at midnight and questions abound how he ended up at the swimming pool.
Efforts to get a comment from the hotel manager were futile as his mobile number could not be accessed by the reporter. A mobile phone number for the deceased’s supervisor this reporter secured was also switched off.
Friends and course mates were shocked to learn about Mpalanyi’s death, who in his last communication with them on social media sounded upbeat.
A source told this reporter that when the footage from the hotel CCTV cameras was reviewed, it was discovered that Mpalanyi was last seen alive at 11.14pm on the fateful day, walking along the corridor.
He appeared to be communicating to someone on his mobile phone. An Ivy hotel staff, who declined to speak on record due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the incident happened when most of the workers had retired.
Family members said the postmortem report showed that Mpalanyi died because his lungs were filled with water. He was buried at his ancestral home in Buloba on Monday.
A mob wanted to lynch Ivy staff who came for the burial over unsubstantiated reports that Mpalanyi could have been a victim of human sacrifice.
Additional reporting by Daily Monitor.
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