A devastating event unfolded in Mbale City on the night of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, leaving the community reeling. Raphael Apedo, a 13-year-old Primary 7 pupil at Nabuyonga Primary School, ended his life at his parents’ home in Malukhu Ward, Industrial City Division.
The Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, Rogers Taitika, reported that the young boy took his own life by hanging himself inside his parents’ bedroom. Initial police findings suggest that the incident followed a series of events beginning in February 2025, when the boy’s mother traveled to Kampala for a business trip, leaving her children in the care of a maid. Before her departure, Raphael had taken a copy of his mother’s bedroom key. After she left, he retrieved a tablet phone she had previously confiscated from him and subsequently stopped attending school.
On Wednesday morning, the landlady informed the mother that Raphael was not going to school and had accessed the tablet phone using the key. When the mother confronted him about it, he became extremely upset and later hanged himself in the bedroom using a piece of cloth tied to the upper metallic bed frame.
Police are actively investigating the circumstances to uncover the reasons behind the boy’s actions. It was revealed that Raphael had spoken to his mother, who was still away, shortly before the tragic news of his suicide reached her.
Taitika called on parents to remain attentive and proactive in supporting their children, encouraging open communication to help prevent such tragedies. The boy’s body has been transported to Mbale City Mortuary for a postmortem examination.
