Body of Lake Bunyonyi SS student retrieved after three days

What the report says

The Observer reported that the body of Samuel Amanya, a 22-year-old Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Senior Secondary School, was recovered on Wednesday morning, three days after he drowned in Lake Bunyonyi. The student, who lived in Kaberu-Katooma village in Mwendo parish, Kabale district, had reportedly been trying to swim from Itambira Island to Bwama Island after he could not find the canoe he had used earlier to cross the lake.

According to the report, Amanya had paddled the canoe from Katooma to Itambira safely, but when he was ready to return, the canoe had been moved. He then attempted to swim across and drowned around 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, between Itambira and Bwama islands. Marine police and residents searched for him, but the first efforts did not locate the body.

The Observer said the body was later seen floating on the lake at about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday and was retrieved by Simon Byamukama, a director at Paradise Eco-Hub Foundation, and Silas Nomwesigwa, who was caring for the deceased. They transported the body to the family home in Katooma village, where burial was said to be planned for Wednesday.

The report also noted that this was the second drowning involving a student from the same school, following an earlier incident in August 2023.