The family and friends of Julius Ibrahim Baguma, a Boda boda rider who was swept away by floods on Monday evening spent the second day on Tuesday searching for his body in vain.
Eyewitnesses say Baguma was returning to Kibuli from Kampala central business district when storm water overpowered him and swept him down into the drainage channel near the Crime Intelligence Directorate- CID headquarters in Kibuli.
According to Jolly Namatovu who runs a nursery bed along the channel, they saw Baguma attempting to cross the flooded area and warned him to stop since the water was too much in vain.
Namatovu narrates that they observed as Baguma struggled with the water, which pushed him towards Mukwano factories. Holding onto his bike, they say, Baguma slowly descended into the channel before he later let go of the motorcycle.
Several people, many of whom own nursery beds along the channel ran after Baguma and asked him to swim towards the edge of the channel in vain.
According to Namatovu, they followed Baguma up to Mukwano Road while shouting at him to hold on to stones nearby, which he did before involuntarily letting go a few seconds later.
On Tuesday, the officers in Kibuli forwarded the family and friends to the Police Fire and Rescue department to help with the search for his body.
The officers together with the family members and friends started their search from Mukwano Road, Nakivubo channel, and continued up to Luzira. Kihiika says they ended the search after 5 pm when they had only recovered one of Baguma's white shoes.
He explained that they returned to the Police Rescue department on Wednesday to continue with the search in Soweto, Kanyogoga and Tebalega zone in Bukasa Parish Makindye where they hired the services of local farmers and fishermen to help.
He explained that they had deployed over six men in Lubigi Wetland the areas to search for the body. The men asked for 800,000 Shillings but were given 300,000 Shillings as a deposit with promises of getting the remaining money once they complete the task.
Baguma is said to have started working in Kampala barely two months ago when he arrived from his home district of Kitagwenda. His brother, Joseph Twebaze, says that he traveled to Kampala on Tuesday night after receiving the sad news from Baguma’s friend he only identified as Moses. He says Baguma is a husband and father to five children all below 13 years.
