Kyambogo University has been plunged into grief following the tragic death of a first-year student who was set ablaze in his rented room, marking the third student death at the institution in less than three months.
The deceased, Juma Bumba, a first-year, second-semester student pursuing a Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management, passed away on Saturday morning, June 6, 2026. He succumbed to severe burn injuries at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, where he had been rushed for emergency treatment.
According to an internal memo issued by the Dean of Students, Ms. Bridget Mugume, addressed to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Eli Katunguka, Bumba-who was attached to Nanziri Hall-was attacked and burnt inside his rented apartment in Bweyogerere town, Kira Municipality.
“We hereby inform you of the passing on of Mr. Juma Bumba… Mr. Bumba passed away this morning from Kiruddu Hospital, where he was admitted after being burnt in his rental,” Ms. Mugume’s statement read in part, urging the university community to lift the bereaved family in prayer.
Ms Mugume revealed that the university covered the expenses for embalming, body transportation, and burial arrangements in line with the established Student Burial Policy. Bumba is scheduled to be laid to rest today, Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Kamonkoli Village, Budaka District.
However, no official delegation from the university will attend the burial. Management noted that this is in strict compliance with the Ministry of Health’s Ebola prevention guidelines. Uganda is currently battling an outbreak of the Ebola Bundibugyo strain, and public health directives heavily restrict large gatherings and crowds to minimize transmission risks.
Bumba’s gruesome death comes barely a month after another student died under sudden circumstances. On May 14, 2026, Brighton Kamugisha, a third-year student of Bachelor of Textiles and Apparel Design, was found dead in his hostel room. A police post-mortem later attributed his death to hypertrophic heart disease.
Earlier in March, the university lost Anita Scovia Cherotich, who perished in a fatal boda-boda accident, also in Bweyogerere town.
The continuous loss of young lives at Kyambogo mirrors a deeply concerning trend across Ugandan higher institutions, where off-campus student safety, health, and security have come under intense scrutiny.
Over the years, police investigations into student deaths in halls of residence and off-campus hostels have frequently pointed to a grim mix of underlying medical conditions, fatal road accidents, electrocutions due to poor structures, and, increasingly, mental health struggles and targeted violence.
Security agencies have launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the arson attack on Bumba’s rental to identify the perpetrators behind the heinous act. By press time, the police were yet to issue an official statement regarding arrests.