Authorities are investigating circumstances under which a 30-year-old man identified as Gerald Twinamatsiko, an employee of Devise Solution Engineering Company Limited, drowned in Lake Albert in Buliisa district on Sunday afternoon.
Reports suggest that Twinamatsiko and his colleagues were touring Butiaba town council and drove to Butiaba landing site. While there, Twinamatsiko went for a swim in the lake and drowned.
His friends alerted area residents when they failed to locate him, and despite their efforts, they were unable to save him. The marine police and local fishermen were alerted and were able to retrieve his body from the lake at around 5 pm on Sunday. His body was taken to Buliisa General Hospital for a postmortem examination.
This tragic incident follows several other drowning incidents that occurred in Lake Albert in recent years. In January 2023, a 16-year-old fisherman named Kumakech Obama drowned in the lake in Hoima district. In December 2022, another fisherman named Emmanuel Omirambe drowned after his fishing boat was attacked by a hippopotamus.
In December 2021, a fisherman named Moses drowned in the lake in Hoima district after sliding off his boat, while in November 2021, another fisherman named Owonda drowned in Lake Albert after panicking upon seeing personnel from the Fisheries Protection Unit.
These incidents highlight the dangers of swimming and fishing in Lake Albert and serve as a reminder for individuals to exercise caution when around the water.
