An 18-year-old Senior One student is feared to have drowned in Lake Bunyonyi, Kabale District, after reportedly losing his balance while learning to swim.
The student, Roland Ampeire, a boarding student at Lake Bunyonyi Community Vocational Secondary School, reportedly went swimming with a friend around midday on Sunday in the Bufuka area of Mwendo Parish, Kitumba Sub-county.
According to reports, Ampeire was using a closed jerrycan as a floating aid while attempting to learn how to swim when the container slipped from his hands.
He reportedly lost his balance and disappeared beneath the water.
The friend who was with him later returned to the school and informed the administration, which then contacted Ampeire’s family.
His father, James Tayebwa, of Kashenyi Village in Butenfa Parish, Rubaya Sub-county, has accused the school of negligence, questioning how his son, a boarding student, was able to leave the school premises and go swimming without permission or supervision.
At the time of publication, local divers and swimmers were searching for Ampeire’s body.
The Uganda Police Force and the school administration had not issued an official statement on the incident.
The incident has renewed concerns about swimming safety on Lake Bunyonyi, particularly among young people with limited swimming skills who venture into the lake without trained supervision or appropriate safety equipment.