Tragedy has hit Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District after two people drowned when their canoe overturned in strong winds.
A search operation is underway as families mourn the loss of a student and a father of four.

Marine Police alongside local residents are conducting a search for two individuals who drowned on Lake Bunyonyi yesterday evening after their canoe reportedly capsized due to strong winds.
The deceased have been identified as 21-year-old Bruce Aineplan, a Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Secondary School, and 42-year-old Dickson Kabagambe, a cook at Asiimwe Preparatory School.

According to residents who are assisting the search using traditional tools like hooks, the accident occurred around 5 pm as the two were traveling from Bwama Island in Kitumba Sub-county to Burimba in Rubaya Sub-county, Kabale District.
Ronald Asiimwe, Director of Asiimwe Preparatory School, said the canoe may have been overturned by powerful evening winds.

Asiimwe noted that such accidents are frequent during the dry season, when evening winds tend to be strongest.

Kabagambe’s wife, Rosemary Orishaba, recounted how her husband had left home early in the day to prepare food at a neighborhood gathering. She later received the heartbreaking news of his death. She now fears for the well-being of their four children, as she lacks a stable income.

The Officer in Charge of the Marine Police at Lake Bunyonyi, James Egesa, stated that the search will persist until the bodies are found and given a proper burial.

Egesa criticized local residents for overcrowding canoes and ignoring safety measures like wearing life jackets.

Reports estimate that over 10 people lose their lives to drowning in Lake Bunyonyi every year. The lake is known as the second-deepest in Africa.