A surge in deadly river currents across Kasese District is putting children’s lives at grave risk, as swollen waters from the River Mubuku and River Nyamwamba turn familiar play areas into treacherous death traps.
This growing danger follows days of relentless rainfall in the Rwenzori Mountains, which has caused nearby rivers to swell and surge unpredictably. Authorities are now urging parents and guardians to keep children away from riverbanks, warning that the threat of drowning is escalating.
This call comes after the tragic death of Innocent Magambo, an 8-year-old Primary One pupil at Mubuku Primary School. On Tuesday May 20 2025, Magambo was playing with friends near the Mubuku River in Mubuku Town Council when he was swept away by rapidly rising waters around 7:00 PM. His body was later recovered in a maize farm owned by Mubuku Prisons, following a search by local residents and officers from Mubuku Police Station.
Speaking to the media on May 21, 2025, SP Nelson Tumushime, spokesperson for the Rwenzori East Police Region, confirmed the incident and emphasized the urgent need for greater community vigilance.
“Parents and guardians must ensure children do not play near rivers, especially during the rainy season,” SP Tumushime emphasized. “These rivers, particularly the Mubuku and Nyamwamba, have become unpredictable and dangerous.
The region has been experiencing increasingly erratic and intense rainfall, which experts attribute to global climate change. The steep slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains channel storm water directly into local rivers, transforming once-calm streams into fast-moving torrents that threaten lives, homes, and livelihoods.
Environmentalists and local leaders note a significant increase in the frequency and severity of flash floods in recent years. Rural communities like Mubuku are particularly vulnerable, as many children are left unsupervised after school and often play near rivers.
ASP Stephen Tukumubona, officer in charge at Mubuku Police Station, echoed the urgent call for action.
“We are losing our children to rivers that no longer behave the way they used to,” he warned. “Parents must understand that these are not the same rivers we once knew,” he said.
Despite ongoing public sensitization campaigns, infrastructure and emergency preparedness in Kasese remain underdeveloped. Many areas lack adequate footbridges, safety signage, and early warning systems and community awareness efforts are also constrained by limited resources.
Justine Mbambu, a local teacher, described Magambo’s death as a painful wake-up call.
“We must stop treating these rivers as harmless,” she said. “With the climate shifting and rains growing more intense, our communities must respond not with silence, but with awareness, action, and a firm commitment to keeping our children safe.”
Magambo’s death is not an isolated incident. In recent weeks, Kasese District has seen multiple tragedies triggered by heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides.
On May 6, 2025, Mary Kabugho, a 13-year-old girl from Kibandama I Village in Kilembe Sub-County, died in her sleep when a mudslide caused by over four hours of heavy rainfall engulfed the room she was sleeping in, separate from her siblings.
On the same night, a woman drowned in River Kabaka, a tributary of the swollen River Mubuku.
Just last month, on April 6, two boys, Reagan Mumbere (12) and Devis Mugume (8), narrowly escaped drowning after being trapped by flash floods along the Mubuku River. They were rescued after a tense six-hour operation by police and local residents.
These tragic events underscore the persistent dangers facing children in Kasese during the rainy season. With both floods and mudslides growing more frequent and severe, local leaders are calling for urgent investment in community safety, infrastructure, and climate adaptation measures.
