Bodies of two boys retrieved from Kibimba dam

Bugiri, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Bugiri district has today retrieved the bodies of two boys who were reported to have drowned in Kibimba dam located in Bulesa sub county on Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased are 17-year old Siraj Mayende, and Ashiraf Nambuku aged 10 years, pupils at Bubuzi primary school.

The two are reported to have gone fishing but unfortunately drowned in the dam.

Well wishers teamed up with the marine police unit to mount a search for the deceased in vain, until early this morning when fishermen who sighted the bodies floating across the dam alerted police to intervene.

The father of the deceased Idi Mayende says that ever since the Covid-19 lockdown began, his sons resorted to fishing as a means of keeping themselves busy.

“My boys had gotten used to the classroom environment which kept them busy throughout the day, but since they are still in lower primary and are yet to return to school following the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, they had resorted to fishing as a means of making themselves productive,” he says.

The Bugiri district police commander Jeff Ssebuyungo says that local community leaders have tried to restrict access to the dam to only adults, but since it is the main source of water for both humans and livestock within the area, such recommendations are often compromised. This has resulted in an increase in the number of accidents registered at that particular site.

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