A 10-year-old girl has drowned in Lake Bunyonyi, bringing to five the number of people reported to have drowned in the lake since July 2026. The deceased has been identified as Prossy Akoragye, a daughter of Alex Tushabomwe and Annah Busingye, residents of Kagugo Village, Kitooma Parish, Rubaya Sub-county, Kabale District.
According to Busingye, Akoragye drowned on Monday evening at around 5:00 PM after walking from their home, which is located near the lake, and going into the water to play. She reportedly drowned while playing in the water.
Busingye says residents mobilised after the incident and managed to retrieve the body later that night. Noah Mubangizi, the Rubaya Sub-county LCIII Chairperson, says the deceased was reportedly living with a long-term mental impairment. He has urged parents and guardians to closely supervise their children, particularly those living near the lake, to prevent similar incidents.
Akoragye’s death comes barely ten days after Samuel Amanya, a 22-year-old Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Senior Secondary School in Kabale District, drowned in the same lake.Amanya drowned at around 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 3, 2026, after reportedly attempting to swim across the lake when he could not find the canoe he had used to travel to Itambira Island.
On August 18, 2026, a 15-year-old boy identified only as Nukiza drowned while swimming at Itara Village in Bufundi Sub-county, Rubanda District.Nukiza, a resident of Kashasha Trading Centre in the same sub-county, had reportedly gone to the lake to swim when he drowned.
Earlier, on August 9, 2026, Roland Ampeire, a Senior One student at Lake Bunyonyi Vocational Secondary School, drowned while swimming in the lake.Ampeire, a resident of Kashenyi Village in Butenga Parish, Rubaya Sub-county, Rubanda District, was reportedly part of a group of students who had obtained permission from their school matron to go to the lake and wash their clothes. He entered the water without a life jacket nor a guide and began swimming before he drowned.
The first of the five incidents occurred on July 26, 2026, when Johnson Spencer Tumukunde, a 45-year-old head teacher of Musamba Government Primary School, drowned after the canoe he was travelling in capsized near Kyevu Landing Site and Market in Butanda Sub-county, Rubanda District.
Tumukunde was travelling from his home in Butebe Village to Musamba Church of Uganda in Rubaya Sub-county, where he was expected to assist with Sunday school activities. He was travelling with 21-year-old Rebecca Ndamwesiga when strong waves reportedly overturned their canoe, throwing both occupants into the water.
Residents at Kyevu Landing Site rescued Ndamwesiga, but Tumukunde disappeared beneath the water and was swept away.
Lake Bunyonyi, a major tourist attraction in southwestern Uganda, has recorded several drowning incidents involving children, students and adults in recent months, raising concerns about water safety and the need for increased supervision and precautionary measures-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
