The body of Augustine Isreal Semakula Kizito, a Primary Six pupil at Greenhill Academy, was yesterday laid to rest at his parents’ home in Kabembe, Nama Sub-county, Mukono District. Semakula died on November 12, after falling from the second floor at school. It remains unclear how the boy fell, as none of the school staff have clarified the circumstances.
His father, Mr Kenneth Nsubuga Ssebagayunga, a lawyer contesting for Mukono North Constituency on the Democratic Party (DP) ticket, said he received a call from the school three weeks ago while he was in Kampala preparing to register for nominations. ‘The call informed me about my son’s accident,’ he said.
‘The way they informed me on the phone, it was like a small manageable issue because they did not give me details, but still, my heart wasn’t fine until I had to leave whatever I was doing for the health facility.’
At the time, the mother was in Tanzania. Mr Nsubuga said he first sent his elder child to TMR International Hospital before joining them.
‘When I reached the facility, I failed to understand the child because he was unconscious, he was bleeding from the mouth, nose and ears. They called the TMR team, and they acted so fast to stabilise him. They got an ambulance and took him to the hospital, and they tried to work on his internal organs to save him. He was taken to the ICU, surgeries were carried out, and we started counting days, thinking the child would get better. Unfortunately, he passed on.’
Mr Nsubuga added that he was comforted by friends who told him that ‘God only calls the good people; he does not call those who abduct, mistreat and kill people.’ He revealed that he had a balance of Shs65m to clear at the hospital before the body could be released for burial. This was settled by the Democratic Party community.
‘We have spent a lot, but I thank everyone who stood by us, including the parents of Greenhill, who contributed Shs20m, and also the school that supported us with over Shs20m,’ he said.
The child’s grandfather, Mr Godfrey Mementeleka, described Semakula as ‘a polite, kind, brilliant child who has been active and calm both at home and school’.
”We have missed a bright child, who associates with everyone,” he added. Democratic Party President Nobert Mao sent condolences to the family, assuring them of continued support in clearing the hospital bills and arranging the burial. In his speech, he contributed Shs7 million for condolence, while the party also sent Shs7 million towards the burial arrangements.
However, the school only addressed what it called false information about hospital bills circulating on various social media platforms and did not provide clear details on how the child fell from the building. Semakula had been admitted to TMR International Hospital in Naalya, Kampala, since October 22, undergoing treatment. In a family of eight children, Semakula was the seventh.