A Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Senior Secondary School-Bwama has drowned while attempting to swim across Lake Bunyonyi in Rubanda District.
The deceased, Samuel Amanya, 22, drowned at around 11am on October 3, 2026, while trying to swim between Itambira and Bwama islands.
According to Kigezi Police spokesperson Nelson Tumushime, Amanya had paddled a canoe from Katoma to Itambira Island and reached safely.
However, when he prepared to return, he reportedly discovered that the canoe he had left behind had been taken.
“The deceased decided to swim across the lake but drowned midway between Itambira and Bwama islands,” Tumushime said.
Police Marine officers, assisted by local divers, later retrieved Amanya’s body from the lake.
Tumushime said preliminary findings point to drowning, although investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the student’s death.
Police have urged parents, guardians, schools and residents around Lake Bunyonyi to caution learners against attempting to swim in deep waters without adult supervision or appropriate safety equipment such as life jackets.
