MUBs student discovered dead laid to rest in Bukedea

Lawrence Opesen, 21, a Makerere University Business School (MUBS) student, whose body was discovered in a morgue on Tuesday, has been laid to rest.

The discovery came two weeks after Opesen was announced missing. However, little did the relatives know that Opesen’s life had been cut short on his way to campus one morning.

According to an update on  X (formerly Twitter) by Joseph Beyanga, a source close to the deceased’s family, CCTV camera footage showed the student being knocked down by a trailer at the Nakawa junction traffic lights on April 20, 2024. The victim was only later realised to be Opesen.

Born to Dr Felix Ocom, the deputy director of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at the health ministry, Opesen was pursuing a bachelor's degree of science in finance.

His disappearance had been reported to the Police under case reference number S/D/REF: 08/27/04/2024.

Obituary messages have since poured in to remember the young man.

“With utmost sadness, we mourn the passing of one of our own Opesen Lawrence (Class of 2022), whose passing was confirmed from a tragic accident after he went missing for two weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved and may Lawrence's soul rest in eternal peace,” St Mary’s Kitende School conveyed through their social media channel.

“So sad for my little brother to go like this. Rest in Peace Lawrence. We shall dearly miss you. Very brilliant, energetic, social and ambitious. We had high hopes in him,” Benjamin Prince, a relative to the deceased, wrote.

Opesen was buried at Chodong Village-Kidongole in Bukedea district.

The Uganda Police traffic report, 2023, shows the death toll in road crashes increased by 30% to 4,179 in 2023 from 3,210 in 2022.