Residents of Bunyagira village, Bbibo parish, Kawolo division, Lugazi municipality, Buikwe district are yet to recover from shock after one of their own drowned while struggling to save his goats .
Peter Kayega popularly known as Semakula 22, a herdsman at Mbowa Reagan’s farm, lost his life while attempting to rescue two goats that had fallen into the Ssezibwa Sugar factory water reservoir.
According to eyewitnesses, Kayega and his colleague, was grazing goats near the reservoir when the incident happened.
When the goats fell into the water, Kayega bravely dived in to save them, managing to pull out one goat. However, while trying to rescue the second goat, he slipped and fell into the water, calling out for help.
Factory workers who were along the water reservoir say, they tried stopping Kayega from diving in but he was determined to save the goats.
Kayira Peter, one of the rescue team says that they rushed to save him using a rope , but failed.
“We hurriedly got a rope thinking that we could save his life unfortunately, by the time we arrived, Kayega had already sunk underwater and couldn’t be seen or heard.” Reports Kayira.
These workers immediately informed Kayega’s employer, Mbowa, who reported the incident to Lugazi police station.
The police retrieved Kayega’s body and took it to Kawolo General Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination.
Ssezibwa Region Police Spokesperson, ASP Hellen Butoto, confirmed the incident and urged communities near factories to take safety precautions.
This tragic incident highlights the importance of prioritizing safety measures, especially near water bodies. Factory owners are also being called upon to fence off hazardous areas to prevent such accidents.