By Kitts Mabonga
The Marine Police have embarked on a search for an 18-year-old who is alleged to have drowned in Lake Victoria.
The incident occurred on July 9, 2024, at approximately 1745hrs near the Gaba Landing Site in Makindye division, Kampala.
The deceased was identified as Owen Ntanda, a renowned boat sailor on the lake.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango, the case is being investigated in collaboration with the Police in Kabalagala.
It is alleged that on the evening of the fateful day, Ntanda and his colleagues left the landing site and went to a beach house.
“They parked their boat and began swimming as a way of spending leisure time and in the process, he drown,” he noted in statement issued today July 10, 2024.
He noted that the Gaba Police were informed and promptly took action, and informed the Marine Police to join in and initiate a search and rescue operation but the body has not been found yet.
Onyango clarified that the ongoing rescue efforts by the police marines and the local community are being hindered by adverse weather conditions caused by heavy rainfall.
Swim Safe Uganda, a water safety organization reports that over 1000 individuals drown in various lakes in Uganda annually, with most fatalities occurring in Lake Victoria.
In April 2021, the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing drowning as one of the primary causes of death worldwide, with an estimated 2,500,000 deaths attributed to drowning in the last ten years.
According to the World Health Organization, 90% of drowning cases take place in countries with low income levels, including Uganda.
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