Mityana drowning sparks warning over children playing in floodwater
Kigozi said it had become common practice in the village for children to undress and play in rainwater and fast-flowing drainage channels whenever it rains.
Police asked the public in Mityana district and Wamala region at large to keep their children indoors in vagary weather conditions.(File photo_
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Police in Mityana have cautioned parents against allowing young children to play in rainwater following a drowning incident in which a six-year-old pupil of Hilton Primary School died after being swept away in a drainage channel.
The incident occurred on June 6, 2026, when the child went out to play in the rainwater with other children in the village.
Wamala Region Police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi identified the deceased as Shifah Nagayi, daughter of Suleiman Kibirige and Hadijah Namata, residents of Buswabulongo ward in Busimbi division, Mityana municipality.
Kigozi said it had become common practice in the village for children to undress and play in rainwater and fast-flowing drainage channels whenever it rains.
“On the fateful day of Saturday, it rained heavily in Mityana municipality. The deceased Nagayi joined her friends in heavy running water to play, but she was overpowered by the rapids in the drainage. She died and her body was recovered a few hours after the water had subsided,” he said.
Kigozi noted that the Mityana Police homicide team visited the scene, recovered the body and transported it to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
“We appeal to the public in Mityana district and Wamala region at large to keep their children indoors in vagary weather conditions. There are many other dangers associated with playing in the rain, like lightning, hailstones, and flooding, which are life-threatening to children when necessary caution is not exercised,” he stated.