Two people have drowned after a canoe overturned on Lake Bunyonyi in south-western Uganda on Sunday evening.
The victims have been named as 21-year-old Bruce Aineplan, a Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Secondary School, and Dickson Kabagambe, a cook at Asiimwe Preparatory School in Kitumba Sub-county, Kabale District.
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The pair were travelling home to Rubaya Sub-county when their boat capsized. Local residents believe strong evening winds were to blame.
Search operations by marine police and community members continued into Monday morning, with locals using canoes, boats, hooks and threads to try and retrieve the bodies.
Kabagambe’s wife, Rosemary Orishaba, described the moment she was informed of the tragedy.
“Our first born came running, saying people had drowned and that one of them was his father. Later, I received a phone call confirming it,” she told reporters.
Residents say such accidents are common on the lake, particularly in the dry season when strong winds make the waters dangerous. In June, two people drowned under similar circumstances.
Marine officer James Egesa said most fatalities occur because travellers fail to wear life jackets. Official figures suggest around 10 people die in Lake Bunyonyi each year, prompting calls for greater safety awareness and stricter enforcement of regulations.
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