A security guard has drowned in a swimming pool at a residential property in Naguru, Kampala, reportedly while attempting to record himself swimming. The deceased has been identified as Andrew Tumusiime, 24, a resident of Hoima District, who was employed by SGA Security Company and deployed to guard a home at Plot 10, Naguru.
The occupants of the residence had reportedly vacated the property two days before the incident, leaving Tumusiime and another guard responsible for its security. Tumusiime’s daytime colleague, Edison Kyaligonza, said he became concerned when he reported for duty in the morning and could not find him.
Kyaligonza said the small gate was open, leading him to believe that Tumusiime had briefly stepped out. But after waiting for some time without seeing him, he called his phone. “I waited and waited. I called his phone, and it was ringing, but no one was answering. I then moved around the house and heard his phone ringing from the swimming pool side. When I got there, I saw his clothes and then his body floating on the water. I immediately called the office, which in turn alerted the police,” Kyaligonza said.
He said Tumusiime appeared to have been recording himself while swimming before he drowned in the deeper section of the pool. Ahamed Matoovu, the chairperson of Kiwalimu Zone in Naguru, said he was alerted about the incident by the Kira Road Police Division commander and rushed to the property.
Matoovu said residents suspected that Tumusiime may have been recording the video either for social media or to share with his family and friends. “The guard was swimming while recording himself, probably creating content for social media or trying to show his family back home. He may also have been under the influence of alcohol, which could have led him to attempt swimming,” Matoovu said.
However, Matoovu said the incident also raises questions about the training and deployment of security guards to high-end residential properties. He said some guards can become overly familiar with facilities at properties where they work and end up using them without adequate knowledge or training.
Pelagia Nampebwa, a local council leader, said the property had been vacated by its occupants two days earlier, leaving Tumusiime with greater freedom to move around the premises.
Andrew Kiiza, another resident, said some security guards who come to Kampala from rural areas can be tempted to experiment with things they encounter in the city. He said Tumusiime may have been trying to record a video to show his friends what he considered the good life in the city.
“He was likely recording videos to show his friends the good life he thought he was living, yet he didn’t know how to swim. That is the problem we have here,” Kiiza said. He also cited other incidents involving security guards who, according to him, have misused property or equipment entrusted to them. Meanwhile, another resident, Najiv Ssenyange, criticised the police response, saying officers took a long time to retrieve Tumusiime’s body.
Ssenyange said the first officers who arrived at the scene appeared uncertain about how to handle the recovery and preserve evidence. “We had to assist them. They didn’t know how to retrieve the body or handle the exhibits found at the scene. We waited for another hour for the homicide and Scene of Crime officers, who arrived late. I think police should train all officers in crime scene management, not just the Scene of Crime Officers,” Ssenyange said.
Police had cordoned off the residence and restricted journalists from accessing the scene or taking photographs by the time of publishing this story. Some officers at the scene said the security company did not want the incident publicised because the property reportedly belongs to a senior Stanbic Bank official. Police had not yet issued an official statement on the circumstances surrounding Tumusiime’s death by press time-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
