Man hangs self to ‘escape’ marriage pressure from parents

At 26 years old, Komakech’s parents demanded for a daughter-in-law

For most Ugandan men in this generation, age 26, is a time when they are growing their career and finances. Only a few are thinking about marriage, though the pressure to find a wife increases around 28- 30 years.

But for Joel Komakech, a resident of Bigoya village in Lamwo District, the story was different.

At 26 years old, Komakech’s parents demanded for a daughter-in-law, prompting him to end his life.

According to police reports, the deceased on Monday picked a quarrel with his parents, protesting their plans for him to marry.

The Aswa River Regional Police Spokesperson Jimmy Patrick Okema told Daily Monitor in an interview Tuesday that the deceased had for long complained to his parents and relatives that he wasn’t yet ready for marriage.

“We got reports that his parents wanted him (deceased) to marry a wife because he was already mature. There were several meetings instituted at home in which the deceased was accused of delaying to marry but he protested that his time wasn’t ready, he however couldn’t take the pressure further on Monday evening when he hanged himself on a tree branch using a rope,” Mr Okema said.

Mr Okema said police intervened at the scene and retrieved the body for postmortem test before handing it back to his family members for burial arrangements.

“We never expected the deceased to take his own life because of pressure to marry a wife. We are however investigating to find out if there could have been other motives behind his death,” Mr Okema said.

Suicide cases in Northern Uganda are common, and studies have revealed that 68 percent of the cases registered in the region are committed under influence of Alcohol.