Budo Junior pupil collapses in pool, dies
A Primary Five pupil of Budo Junior School died on Wednesday evening after suddenly becoming unconscious while swimming.
Innocent Lawoko died shortly after being admitted to Rubaga Hospital in Kampala, his family and the school authorities said yesterday.
Mr Ernest Kavulu, the head teacher of the school, said Lawoko was one of the 60 students who had been taken for swimming at Mugwanya Preparatory School’s swimming pool.
He said the group had been accompanied by four teachers and two coaches. The pupils take their weekly swimming lessons there.
Mr Robert Akena, the father of the deceased boy, said the school notified them of their child’s condition and that they reached hospital before he died.
“We were told that he became unconscious while swimming, and he was immediately transferred to hospital here,” he said.
Mr Akena said they are yet to receive details of what exactly transpired, pending autopsy at the City Mortuary and outcome of police investigations.
According to a medical report signed by Dr Andrew Ssekitoleko of Rubaga Hospital, the boy succumbed to “cardiorespiratory arrest (a sudden loss of blood flow resulting from the failure of the heart to effectively pump)”.
Mr Kavulu said the pupil was among the last lot to get into the swimming pool that day.
He said the coach and teachers dived into the pool after they realised Lawoko was not swimming normally.
“They tried to give him first aid and he was not responding and they rushed him to the school nurse (Mugwanya Preparatory School), who immediately referred the child to Rubaga Hospital,” Mr Kavulu said.
The pupil was placed on life support for about two hours before doctors declared him dead.
“We send deep regrets and condolences to the family and friends and the entire Budo Junior fraternity. It is hard to comprehend this…,” Mr Kavulu noted.
Lawoko will be buried at his ancestral home in Gulu District tomorrow.
Past incident
In February a nine-year-old boy of South Sudan origin drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Gulu Municipality. The body of Bol-Garang Diar, a Primary One pupil at Credo Day-care, Nursery and Primary School in Laroo Division, was found at Bomah Hotel swimming pool. The deceased was part of 82 pupils who had been taken to the hotel for their routine swimming lessons at the children swimming pool.
