Summary:

• The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) is probing the death of Ji-Feng, a Chinese national found in pain at Golden Hotel in Kampala. Discovered by UPDF soldiers, Ji-Feng was later pronounced dead at International Hospital Kampala. Police are uncertain if his fall was accidental, a suicide, or foul play. CCTV footage and colleagues are being investigated for further insights.

KAMPALA, (Examiner) – The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) is delving into the enigmatic death of Ji-Feng, a Chinese national, who was found in distress at the Golden Hotel in Nakawa Division, Kampala. The incident occurred over the weekend when Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers discovered Ji-Feng groaning in pain.

Ji-Feng had been checked into a room on the hotel’s third floor by his friends. The circumstances of his fall remain unclear, raising questions about whether it was an accident, a suicide, or a deliberate act. “It is difficult to tell whether he was pushed, whether it was an accident or whether he committed suicide,” a source said. CCTV footage revealed that Ji-Feng had entered the hotel with his colleagues, who later departed separately.

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed Ji-Feng’s death, noting that he succumbed to his injuries at International Hospital Kampala (IHK) after being rushed there for treatment. UPDF soldiers guarding the hotel had responded to the scene after hearing Ji-Feng’s cries of pain.

Owoyesigyire explained, “We have been told that the deceased went for leisure with colleagues but he got too drunk. His colleagues decided to book him a room to rest. It is not clear whether he jumped out of his room by accident or it was a suicide act.”

Preliminary investigations indicate that Ji-Feng and his colleagues, employees of Zedking Company, were driven to the hotel by their company driver, who left after dropping them off. The police are now scrutinizing CCTV footage to piece together Ji-Feng’s final moments and plan to question his colleagues individually. This incident adds to a series of recent cases in June involving falls from storied buildings.