Police recover drowned pupil’s body
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Kadapawo, a son to Abdul-Hakim Kadapawo, together with other children, had taken cows for grazing but decided to take a swim. COURTESY PHOTO
What you need to know:
- The District Police Commander (DPC), Dennis Ochama, confirmed the incident saying, “The case of the child drowning was reported late evening and a police search team swiftly rushed to the scene but failed to trace for the body until the following day when the body was retrieved.”
- He urged parents to ensure safety of their children as it was not the first time such an incident was happening in the area.
- According to Police, there have been six cases of children drowning across the entire Bukedi sub-region in a period of five months (August-December), raising several concerns amongst key stakeholders including the police who have faulted parents of being irresponsible.
PALLISA-Police in Pallisa District on Wednesday morning recovered the body of a 12-year old boy matching the description of the school pupil presumed to have drowned while swimming in Limoto swamp along Tirinyi-Pallisa Road.
Police identified the deceased as Sharif Kadapawo, a Primary Four pupil at Star-Sulaya nursery and primary school in Puti-Puti Sub-county in Pallisa District.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Kadapawo, a son to Abdul-Hakim Kadapawo, together with other children, had taken cows for grazing but decided to take a swim.
An eyewitness told Daily Monitor that the deceased fell into a deep water channel and failed to swim back. His friends begun to suspect that he could have died when he did not resurface a few minutes later.
His body was recovered the following day and taken to Pallisa Hospital mortuary for post-mortem and later handed over to relatives for burial in Putyai village, Puti-Puti Sub-county in Pallisa District.
The District Police Commander (DPC), Dennis Ochama, confirmed the incident saying, “The case of the child drowning was reported late evening and a police search team swiftly rushed to the scene but failed to trace for the body until the following day when the body was retrieved.”
He urged parents to ensure safety of their children as it was not the first time such an incident was happening in the area.
“This is the second incidence in a spell of one month after another child accidentally fell into an unprotected shallow well. Parents should act responsibly,” he said.
According to Police, there have been six cases of children drowning across the entire Bukedi sub-region in a period of five months (August-December), raising several concerns amongst key stakeholders including the police who have faulted parents of being irresponsible.
The DPC said that negligent parents will be arrested if such incidents re-occur.
“As Police, we shall not hesitate to arrest such parents and charge them for child negligence because this is the only language people understand properly,” he said.
