Police Search for Clues in Buziga Sauna Explosion that Injured 3

At least three people have been hospitalized with severe injuries following a sauna explosion at Buziga Country Resort in Kampala’s Makindye Division. 

The blast occurred around 10 pm on Sunday at the resort in Upper Buziga, a city suburb. Police identified the victims as Hajjati Masitula, a 69-year-old area vice chairperson who sustained burns all over her body; Zahara Nakaweesi Kasenene, 39, who suffered burns and a broken leg; and Mama Rama Aisha, who sustained bodily injuries.

The victims were first rushed to Kiruddu Hospital before being transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital in critical condition. According to police, the sauna was destroyed, reduced to ashes. 

Preliminary findings show the sauna’s bricks were burnt to ashes, with the remaining walls heavily cracked. A joint investigation has been launched with the Uganda National Building Review Board (UNBRB) and the electricity supply authority to establish the actual cause.

Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire explained that while no arrests have been made yet, negligence charges have been preferred against the sauna proprietors.

Herbert Ziwa, spokesperson for the UNBRB, said their teams are at the scene and will release preliminary findings later. 

The Buziga explosion adds to a worrying trend of sauna-related incidents in Kampala and surrounding areas. In 2019, an explosion at Marco Gym and Spa in Naalya injured five people, traced to a faulty control valve that caused overheating. In 2011, at least eight people were injured when a gas cylinder exploded at a health club sauna in Ntinda.

In 2021, a similar incident in Wakiso claimed two lives at Experience-in Sauna. A subsequent UNBRB investigation revealed that many saunas rely on firewood and are built without professional standards. 

“Most of these saunas aren’t built professionally, so they keep adding firewood until it gets too hot, and then you have to regulate the heat yourself. They don’t have professionals or even machines with sensors that detect the optimal heat level for users. This is extremely dangerous to lives,” said Flavia Bwire of UNBRB. The board has since urged gym, spa, and resort operators to adopt stricter safety protocols, including regular inspections, installation of pressure-relief valves, and enhanced emergency response measures.