Residents of Mengo–Buzzu Village in Mpunge Sub-county, Mukono District, are mourning after two brothers drowned on Saturday morning while fishing for mudfish.
One of the bodies is still missing but he is presumed drowned.
The deceased were identified as Jovan Ssali, 15, a Senior Three student at Kojja Secondary School in Ntenjeru, and his elder brother, Livingstone Kyazze.
According to locals, the brothers had gone fishing with a third person when their boat capsized.
Shoes abandoned at the swamp’s edge raised the alarm, leading fishermen to begin a search.
Ssali’s body was later recovered, while efforts to find Kyazze continue.
Distraught family members and villagers have camped at the swamp, mourning and performing traditional rituals in the hope Kyazze’s body resurfaces.
Rahman Nassali, the mother of Ssali, said she was devastated by the news.
“My son had never gone fishing before. I was shocked when his friends came and told me he had drowned,” she said.
Costa Ndagire, chairperson of Mengo Village, said the boys disappeared around 5:00 a.m. and criticized the slow response from Katosi Police.
“We don’t have the resources to hire experts to retrieve the remaining body. We expected the police to help, but little has been done,” he said.
Residents say increased pressure on Lake Victoria’s main fishing grounds has pushed many to swamps and smaller water bodies in search of mudfish — areas that are riskier and less monitored.
Authorities have urged fishermen to avoid unsafe fishing spots and to use stable boats to reduce the risk of similar accidents.
