Student drowns in school pool
Sep 19, 2011
A student drowned in a school swimming pool in Wakiso district over the weekend.
By Herbert Ssempogo
A student drowned in a school swimming pool in Wakiso district over the weekend.
The tragedy, which is the second in about four years, occurred at Hana Mixed Secondary School where Jeremiah Oyitu, 17, died on Saturday morning.
Hundreds of students from other schools had converged at the school for an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, according to the head teacher, Moses Batibwa.
Batibwa said as the students partook in the day’s activities, Oyitu strayed from the assembly hall and went to the school pool.
Moments after Oyitu got into the pool, he was overpowered by the water and died.
Batibwa, who described the incident as an “accidentâ€, said the boy knew how to swim.
Hailing from Kumi district, Oyitu joined the school last year, Baitwa said.
He said the school has a life guard, but he was not at the pool at the time Oyitu drowned.
After Oyitu’s body was discovered, students beat up a Bukedde TV scribe who had gone to cover the day’s activities.
Thinking he would report about Oyitu’s death, they beat up Godfrey Mubuuke, injuring him in the chest.
Mubuuke was rushed to a nearby health facility.
On the fact that a student died in the same pool a few years ago, Baitwa said: “We have precautions and guidelines. The student went to the pool at a time he was not supposed to be there.â€
The body was taken to the city mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
A student drowned in a school swimming pool in Wakiso district over the weekend.
The tragedy, which is the second in about four years, occurred at Hana Mixed Secondary School where Jeremiah Oyitu, 17, died on Saturday morning.
Hundreds of students from other schools had converged at the school for an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, according to the head teacher, Moses Batibwa.
Batibwa said as the students partook in the day’s activities, Oyitu strayed from the assembly hall and went to the school pool.
Moments after Oyitu got into the pool, he was overpowered by the water and died.
Batibwa, who described the incident as an “accidentâ€, said the boy knew how to swim.
Hailing from Kumi district, Oyitu joined the school last year, Baitwa said.
He said the school has a life guard, but he was not at the pool at the time Oyitu drowned.
After Oyitu’s body was discovered, students beat up a Bukedde TV scribe who had gone to cover the day’s activities.
Thinking he would report about Oyitu’s death, they beat up Godfrey Mubuuke, injuring him in the chest.
Mubuuke was rushed to a nearby health facility.
On the fact that a student died in the same pool a few years ago, Baitwa said: “We have precautions and guidelines. The student went to the pool at a time he was not supposed to be there.â€
The body was taken to the city mortuary for a post-mortem examination.