Lake Bunyonyi Drowning Toll Rises to Six as Man Goes Missing

A man is missing after drowning in Lake Bunyonyi in Rubanda District, bringing to at least six the number of people reported to have drowned in the lake since July 2026.

The missing man has been identified as Laurensio Safari, a resident of Kagunga Village, Kagunga Parish, Bufundi Sub-county in Rubanda District.

According to Johnson Ntumooha, a resident of the area, Safari drowned on Saturday, November 7, 2026, while returning from Kabere in Muko Sub-county, Rubanda District. 

Ntumooha says Safari had gone fishing for tiny silvery fish locally known in Rukiga as Obuyamba.

During his fishing activities, he reportedly picked up some residents and transported them to Kabere in Muko Sub-county. 

However, while returning after dropping off the passengers, the dugout canoe he was using reportedly capsized, throwing him into the water. Safari is believed to have drowned and remains missing. 

Efforts by marine police and residents to recover his body have so far been unsuccessful. Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident. 

Safari’s disappearance comes barely a month after another drowning incident involving a nine-year-old girl, identified as Prossy Akoragye, in the same lake. 

Akoragye, the daughter of Alex Tushabomwe and Annah Busingye, residents of Kagugo Village, Kitooma Parish, Rubaya Sub-county in Kabale District, drowned in early October 2026. 

On October 3, 2026, Samuel Amanya, a 22-year-old Senior Four student at Lake Bunyonyi Senior Secondary School in Kabale District, also drowned in the lake at around 11:00 am while attempting to swim across it. 

Amanya reportedly decided to swim after failing to find the canoe he had used to travel to Itambira Island. 

Lake Bunyonyi, one of Uganda’s major tourist attractions in the southwestern region, has recorded several drowning incidents involving children, students and adults in recent months. 

The incidents have raised concerns about water safety, particularly because many residents depend on the lake for transport and fishing, often without life jackets or other safety equipment.

Several incidents of drowning have been reported on the lake this year with two incidents reported in August.