Kilembe student who survived R. Nyamwamba drowning recounts colleague's last moments
"But Owomugisha insisted that we shall manage to cross. Then I told him to step in first and check the magnitude of the water. He did so and walked a few meters before he came back and assured me that we could cross. I told him to support me since I personally fear water. But on reaching the middle of the valley, we were washed away," Musanganya explained.
Musanganya noted that as they were being washed away by water, it was by God's grace that he got stuck after hitting a stone and managed to move out of the water. "I then ran to school to alert the teachers about what had happened to my colleague." (Credit: Samuel Amanyire)
KASESE - Residents of Bulembia Division in Kasese Municipality and the entire Kasese District were left in shock on October 26 upon learning about the devastating news of the drowning of a Senior Four candidate belonging to Kilembe Secondary School, who died in River Nyamwamba.
Ashraf Innocent Owomugisha, 17, was among the candidates doing the ongoing Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) 2026 exams and was only one paper away from completing her exams.
By the time of the nasty incident, Owomugisha was in the company of his colleague, Davis Musanganya, a Senior Six student at the same school, who has come out to recount his last memory with Owomugisha.
Musanganya, who was also washed away by the running water, survived after a few meters. He disclosed that before stepping into the water, a boda boda rider warned them not to attempt to cross the river because the water volume was rapidly increasing.
Musanganya noted that as they were being washed away by water, it was by God's grace that he got stuck after hitting a stone and managed to move out of the water. "I then ran to school to alert the teachers about what had happened to my colleague."
Headteacher comments
Kilembe Secondary School headteacher Christopher Ndyanabo revealed that the two students left school without permission to participate in a football tournament in Kasese town and on their return, they attempted to use a shortcut by crossing River Nyamwamba because Owomugisha (now deceased) had a paper to do the following day.
It is important to remember that the previous River Nyamwamba floods destroyed most bridges connecting communities, leaving people with one option: stepping into the river to cross to Kasese Municipality.
Early warning message
Isaya Baluku, the Chief Executive Officer of the Young Agro-Green Africa Network, who works closely with the Kasese District Disaster Management Committee, warned community members against risking crossing rivers when water levels have increased.
"Never underestimate the volume of the water, especially during the current rainy season," Bakuku said.