Fear has engulfed the locals around River Rwizi and other people who cross it daily in Mbarara city and surrounding areas.
This follows last week’s heavy downpour that triggered floods and River Rwizi burst its banks, with the most recent victims being two students and a boatman who drowned in the river last evening around 7:30PM.
The trio drowned when their locally-made boat capsized at in TASO village as they were crossing from Katete side to Mbarara city centre site.
The deceased have been identified as Rukundo Amutuhaire,19,who is a senior five student at Five Star High School in Ntungamo but a resident of Nyakaizi ward, Timothy Kakuru,23,a second year student doing Medical Laboratory at St. Vincent School of Health Sciences in Koranorya – a resident of Karugangama, and the boatman only identified as Rasta. Â The fourth traveller Willy Musa ,33, narrowly survived after swimming to the shore.
Atukwatse Mukama Owembabazi, a sister to Rukundo Amutuhaire narrated that her brother left home at around 5PM on Monday with friends to visit their colleagues in the city.
The survivor later informed them about the tragedy and they started the search for the missing bodies on Tuesday morning, which was still ongoing by press time (Tuesday evening, May 9, 2023).
The Rwizi police spokesperson, ASP Samson Kasasira implored members of the public to be very careful at a time when River Rwizi has burst its banks.
Hon Bony Tashobya Karutsya, the Mbarara city council speaker has expressed concern over the poor lobbying by area Members of Parliament (MPs) who haven’t intervened to get any relief items for the affected families.
The National Environment Management Authority-NEMA western Uganda regional manager Jeconius Musingwire who says the river is angry, has now called upon people to stop choking River Rwizi with plastics, encroachment and activities that have caused silting and blocked proper sewerage channel.
