A student of Bishop Barham University College-BBUC in Kabale district has drowned in lake Bunyonyi while swimming. The deceased is 19-year-old Elizabeth Tumwebaze, a resident of Bugongi in Northern Division, Kabale Municipality.
Tumwebaze, who was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration drowned around 6:00 pm on Wednesday.
Isaac Atwijukire, the Executive Director of the Kabale based Twinomujuni Children’s Home, say that Tumwebaze who was under the case of the organization convinced matrons to allow her to leave the orphanage center in Kirigime, southern division in Kabale Municipality to check on her grandmother in Bungongi.
He, however, says that when Twinomujuni arrived in town she joined her friends and went swimming at Lake Bunyonyi where she drowned in the process.
Simon Turyakira, the Public Relations Officer Bishop Barham University College told URN that they were still trying to gather information about the student’s death before issuing a formal statement.
Several people have lost their lives in Lake Bunyonyi. On July 19th, 2021, Nafutali Kizabona, a 35-year-old catechist attached to Kayanga Catholic Church in Kabale diocese also drowned in the same lake.
Kizabona was crossing the lake on a canoe, which lost balance and capsized in the middle of the lake.
In June 2020, Maureen Ninsiima 15, a student at Cream land High School Kabale and Evidence Kakuru, 15 also drowned while crossing the lake. In 2011, Dustin Sabastiano and Srith Thomas, both Danish tourists drowned in the same lake while swimming.
Several people using the lake ignore safety measures despite numerous pleas by Marine police to residents to wear life jackets.
Covering parts of Kabale and Rubanda districts, the 900-meter deep lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest in Africa.
