Gordon Tukacungurwa, LC2 Chairman of Kitooma Parish, stated that once it was confirmed that Akandiinda could not be saved, locals employed traditional methods to prevent his body from sinking to the bottom of the lake.
A student from Lake Bunyonyi Secondary School in Kabale District drowned in Lake Bunyonyi on Sunday evening after the canoe he was sailing in lost control.
Ignatius Akandiinda, 14, the son of Yosam Betonde and Night Ndyahisahe from Kashenyi Village, Butenga Parish in Rubaya Sub-County, was returning from Katiba Village where he had gone to cut grass to feed cows.
According to Nelson Atukwaase, the area sub-county LC3 Chairman, the small local canoe Akandiinda was using became uncontrollable and capsized, leading to his drowning.
Atukwaase reported that local attempts to rescue Akandiinda were unsuccessful.
He explained that the use of small canoes is common in the area because large trees, which could be used to build sturdier boats, have been cut down by charcoal burners and timber dealers.
//Cue in: “yagyiire kwahira eminyaatsi….
Cue out: …kamuterire hansi.”//
Gordon Tukacungurwa, LC2 Chairman of Kitooma Parish, stated that once it was confirmed that Akandiinda could not be saved, locals employed traditional methods to prevent his body from sinking to the bottom of the lake.
They managed to retrieve the body late at night. There is also speculation that Akandiinda might have attempted to swim, despite lacking swimming skills and a life jacket.
//Cue in: “nachondooza bangyira ngu…
Cue out: …mu byo’kwooga.”//
This incident is part of a troubling pattern at Lake Bunyonyi Secondary School. In August 2023, another student, Martin Izabayo, a senior two student, drowned after escaping from school to sail to Harutinda Market in Kitumba Sub-County.
His classmate, Daniel Owamani, was rescued by local divers. The students had used staking sticks, typically employed for climbing beans, as paddles for their canoe.
