When the lake takes another life: why drowning continue to haunt Lake Kyoga

By Hope Mafaranga

For the people who live along the shores of Lake Kyoga, every journey onto the water carries hope and fear.

The lake feeds families, pays school fees and sustains livelihoods. But for many households in Serere District, it has also become a place of unimaginable heartbreak.

In Labor sub-county, at least eight people have drowned in the past year alone, leaving behind grieving families, orphaned children and a community struggling to understand why the deaths continue despite government efforts to improve water safety.

For Jorem Aketu, the Labor sub-county councillor and Secretary for Production, the statistics are painfully personal.

Last year, he buried his brother, Charles Opio, a catechist who drowned in the lake. Before his family could recover from that loss, tragedy struck again.

"Not long after, I lost my son, David Adilu, a trained laboratory technician, who also drowned," Aketu said, fighting back emotion.

His story mirrors the anguish of many families living around the lake. The latest victim was 35-year-old fisherman Max Bulera, who drowned on March 20 while casting a fishing net.

According to his brother, Tom Suwede, Bulera lost his balance during the routine fishing exercise.

"He was with a colleague. As he cast the net, he slipped, fell into the water and drowned," Suwede recalled.

Bulera leaves behind a widow and seven children, raising concerns over how the family will survive and whether the children will remain in school.

Dangerous habits continue

Community leaders say many of the deaths could be avoided if basic safety measures were followed.

Aketu blames the rising number of fatalities on the continued use of small boats and the refusal by many fishermen to wear life jackets.

"Water levels have risen, yet our people continue using small boats. Worse still, many refuse to wear life jackets, exposing themselves to danger," he said.

Residents say drowning incidents have become increasingly common not only on Lake Kyoga itself but also on the rivers and channels feeding into the lake.

On International Women's Day, tragedy nearly struck again when 21-year-old Jorem Ediau drowned while crossing a grazing area in Soroti District.

Three other passengers survived

"We could have lost four people that day," said local leader Charles Omieno, who blamed the accident on poorly maintained boats.

Safer boats ignored

According to Serere District Fisheries Officer Joseph Epero, government has recommended the use of 26-foot boats, but many fishermen continue operating smaller vessels that are easily overturned by strong winds.

"Our people are not embracing these safer boats. Instead, they continue using small ones that are easily overturned by strong winds, leading to loss of life," Epero said.

He explained that Lake Kyoga, which stretches across Serere, Kaberamaido, Amolatar and parts of Busoga, has 22 major landing sites in Serere District alone, making enforcement difficult.

"Increased water levels, combined with illegal small boats, have made fishermen more vulnerable," he added.

One landing site offers hope

At Kagwara Landing Site, however, a different story is unfolding.

Chairperson Richard Otukol says strict enforcement of safety regulations and the adoption of recommended boats since 2021 have dramatically reduced drowning cases.

"Previously, drowning was rampant. Now it is rare here. We mostly hear of such incidents happening at other landing sites," Otukol said.

The landing site has 180 fishermen operating 54 compliant boats. Last year, only one drowning was recorded and it involved an illegal boat.

Cost of survival

Although government has distributed more than 500 life jackets, many remain unused.

State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa says some fishermen simply leave them at home.

                   Minister Hellen Adoa speaking to the people of Serere recently

Affordability remains another challenge

Life jackets cost between UGX65,000 and UGX200,000, prices many fishing families cannot meet.

To bridge the gap, Design Without Borders has started piloting locally manufactured life jackets.

Project coordinator Nancy Akera says the organisation hopes to reduce costs by half while making the jackets widely available.

"We are working with marine police and having plans of training local tailors to produce affordable life jackets," Akera said.

The organisation is also working with weather experts to improve access to forecasts.

"Many fishermen go to the lake without knowing the weather conditions, which contributes to drowning," she added.

A crisis beyond Lake Kyoga

Uganda records an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 drowning deaths every year the equivalent of eight to nine people every day.

      A water ambulance on lake Kyoga used for transporting patients from the High land  to the main land for treatment

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 372,000 people die from drowning annually, with 90% of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries such as Uganda.

Former WHO Director-General Margaret Chan noted that more than 40 people lose their lives to drowning every hour, making it one of the world's most neglected public health challenges.

WHO recommends teaching school-age children swimming and water safety skills, training communities in safe rescue and resuscitation, providing safe childcare away from water, strengthening public awareness and enforcing effective water safety policies.

Uganda's research paints a worrying picture

A 2020 study by the Makerere University School of Public Health, titled "Understanding and Preventing Drowning in Uganda," conducted in 60 districts, including Soroti and Serere, found that drowning is a leading cause of premature death, particularly among young adults whose livelihoods depend on water.

Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, Professor and Dean of the Makerere University School of Public Health, said most drowning deaths are preventable through stronger regulations and coordinated interventions.

She called for a national water safety strategy bringing together local governments, the health sector, fisheries, education, transport, law enforcement and other stakeholders.

During the study period between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2018, researchers documented 2,066 drowning cases in 14 districts through community investigations more than three times the number officially recorded in district reports.

The study recommended stricter enforcement of safe boating regulations, improved weather forecasting and dissemination, and stronger safety measures for both transport and fishing vessels.

Recommended boats at Kagwara landing site in Serere district

For families like those of Charles Opio, David Adilu and Max Bulera, those recommendations cannot come soon enough. Along the shores of Lake Kyoga, every life jacket worn, every safer boat adopted and every weather warning heeded could mean the difference between returning home or becoming the lake's next victim.