34-Year-Old Ugandan Asylum Seeker in the UK Found Dead Next to Her Malnourished Baby

Police in the UK are probing the death of a Ugandan-born woman who was found dead in a flat in Glasgow, Scotland on August 22nd.

The lifeless body of 34-year-old Mercy Baguma, an asylum seeker from Uganda, was found inside her room with her distressed one-year-old son crying next to her, according to reports in the UK.

It is said the woman was living in extreme poverty and may have starved to death and her son was malnourished and required treatment, the Independent reported.

Reports indicate Baguma lost her job after her limited leave to remain immigration status expired and had been relying on food from friends and charitable organizations.

Positive Action in Housing (PAIH), a charity organization, said the deceased had reached out to them five days before her death but she went mute.

“Had she lived she would have been a high priority for a crisis payment from our emergency relief fund. The question remains, why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city, and why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?" said PAIH director Robina Qureshi.

Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana in a tweet blamed Baguma’d death on anti-migrant policies. 

"Mercy Baguma was an asylum seeker in the UK. Denied work because of her migration status, she died in extreme poverty next to her malnourished baby boy. This is where anti-migrant policy leads. We should build a society rooted in compassion and solidarity, not division and hate," she argued. 

Her friends are raising money to cater for burial expenses and the welfare of the deceased’s son.

"We are raising money to give her a proper send-off and something for her son. Please consider helping out her loved ones through this difficult time as they navigate this tragedy and move forward in life without her," said Bridget, one of the organizers.