Senior four student drowns in Lake Victoria

Deo Kezaala, a senior four candidate at Kisubi Mapeera Secondary School in Katabi town council, Entebbe has drowned in Lake Victoria.
Kezaala who was to write his last UCE exam on Monday, reportedly sneaked out of the school on Saturday evening with a friend, Anthony Isingoma before they went to the shoreline of Lake Victoria in Kitinda, towards the sand mining grounds.
An eye witness Bashir Kaddu said the two students first sat at the sand mining grounds for about two hours until 8pm when they decided to start swimming in the lake.
“We left them enjoy since we usually see people around this place sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake. We, however, cautioned them that the lake in this particular area is muddy and deeper,” Mr Kaddu said.

Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesgyire confirmed the incident and said police had started their investigations.
However, Kezaala’s father Mr Frank Magezi faulted the school management for neglecting his son.
He told this reporter that he received a phone call from one of his sons who goes to a neighbouring school at around 11pm on Saturday informing him that he had been told that his brother, Kezaala had fallen sick and been taken to hospital.
He said he had been advised to go to the school and check on the situation.

“I asked him for how long Kezaala has been sick and granted him permission to go to the school. I then woke my wife up and briefed her. However, I was curious to find out for how long my son had been sick because he was fine when I visited him last Sunday,” he said.
Mr Magezi said when his son reached the school, he was not allowed to enter and remained at the gate for hours.
“He decided to leave because it was getting late,” Mr Magezi said.
Mr Magezi said he was later contacted by the school bursar who explained how his son had sneaked out of school with a friend and ended up “disappearing.”
“The bursar then asked us to join them in the search operation. That’s how I got to know that my son had drowned,” he said.

Mr Paul Sendege who works near the area where Kezaala is said to have drowned said he has never seen anyone swim from the spot where Kezaala drowned.
“It is not safe there. There were sand mining activities in the past which left ditches and logs in the water. People always avoid that spot and instead swim from the nearby Missed call and Kitinda lakeside” he said.
Members of Kisubi Mapeera Secondary School Administration found at the scene declined to comment on the incident.