Drowned couple: Body of woman recovered

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Drowned couple: Body of woman recovered
Locals retrieve one the bodes last week.

Authorities in Entebbe have recovered the body of Edith Mirembe, 23 who has been missing after drowning in Lake Victoria on Wednesday.

Mirembe drowned in the lake together with her husband, Jude Ssentongo, 42 at Nkumba-Bukolwa Village in Katabi town council Wakiso district.

Ssentongo’s body was retrieved on Thursday.

On Friday, a search by locals and security led to the recovery of the second body.

Police on Thursday said the couple had gone to the lake at around 8pm on Wednesday but did not return, raising suspicions among the locals, who later organised a search.

According to Ssentongo’s worker who preferred to remain anonymous, the couple was seen moving towards the lake on Wednesday evening and never returned.

He added the couple had made it a habit to take a dip from the shores of the lake.

“The fishermen who woke up early in the morning found two pairs of shoes, three phones belonging to the deceased and under pants for the couples,” he said.

“They have been bathing in the lake  regularly because the deceased Ssentongo has been a caretaker of one of the water ponds along the shores.”

Locals said the deceased was planning to establish a beach in Nkumba.

Vincent Nsubuga Mugga, the village publicity secretary said over five people have drowned in the same area in the last 10 years.

“There’s a Nigerian businessman who drowned in the lake recently after being chased by authorities,” Mugga added.

Mukasa Balikudembe, a resident of Nkumba said, “When I was moving towards my piggery farm, a friend called me to see what was dumped along the shores of the lake. I found two phones at first, soap with clothes. We later searched in the clothes and found another phone, searched for contacts from the phone to get in touch with relatives.”

Drowning, still considered an incident rather than a public health issue, attracts low attention in the country despite the damning figures of victims.

According to the 2023 Police Annual Crime Report, at least 138 people drowned in Uganda's water bodies between January and December 2023.

The figure was more than 65% of the total of all incidents handled by the Maritime Police.

Overall, 243 bodies were recovered from water bodies around the country during the same period, while 323 persons were rescued.

The figures do not include incidents in swimming pools, bathtubs and other water-holding apparatus or even floods - suggesting a much higher figure.

The couple has been described by neighbours as loving and well-known in their community.

Ssentongo was a familiar figure, and Mirembe had recently opened a grocery store in the area, making their sudden loss even more heartbreaking.

Authorities have reminded residents to exercise caution when engaging in recreational activities near the lake.

Lake Victoria has been known for drowning incidents, and water safety remains a pressing concern.

Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing.

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