Senior Four Student Attempts to Swim Across Lake Bunyonyi, Drowns

What the report says

Police in Rubanda are investigating the drowning of a 22-year-old Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi in southwestern Uganda, according to Nile Post. The student, identified as Samuel Amanya of Lake Bunyonyi Senior Secondary School-Bwama, was reported to have tried to swim from Itambira Island back to Bwama Island after the canoe he had used was no longer where he left it.

The incident, which police said happened on October 3, 2026, took place between the Bwama and Itambira landing sites. The report says Amanya had earlier paddled a canoe from Katoma to Itambira and reached safely, but later decided to cross the lake on his own when he could not find the canoe for his return journey.

Kigezi police spokesperson Nelson Tumushime said Marine officers and local divers recovered the body from the lake. Police said their preliminary view is that the death was caused by drowning, while inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances.

The case highlights the risks faced by people who travel between Lake Bunyonyi’s islands, where canoe transport is a daily necessity for schools, health care, markets and other services. Police have urged parents, schools and the wider community to discourage learners from entering the deep water without supervision or life jackets.