Stakeholders raise alarm over rampant drowning cases
Every year, Uganda loses hundreds of lives to drowning - many of them preventable. According to a 2020 report by Makerere University’s School of Public Health, Mayuge District alone records an alarming 115 drowning deaths annually, the highest in the country, with a drowning rate of 24.3 per 100,000 people. In neighboring districts, the toll remains equally troubling, with 43 deaths in Serere and 30 in Nakasongola each year. As Uganda joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Drowning Prevention Day—marked annually on July 25th - this year’s theme, “Drowning Prevention Through Shared Experiences,” highlights the urgent need for action. Speaking during the commemoration in Mayuge, Peter Nkwanga, the Deputy LC5 Chairperson, emphasised the pressing need to empower local communities to combat drowning.
