Museveni offers Shs150 million to families of River Nguse boat tragedy

Kagadi, Uganda | URN | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has offered one hundred fifty million shillings (150M) to families who lost their relatives in the river Nguse boat tragedy in Kagadi district.

The President’s offer was announced by Robinah Nabbanja, the Prime Minister of Uganda, while addressing district leaders and relatives of the deceased persons at the river Nguse boat accident scene in Kyaleni cell, Pacwa Town Council in Kagadi district on Friday.

According to Nabbanja, each person who lost his or her life in the boat tragedy will be offered 5 million shillings to help with burial arrangements and tasked the district leadership and security to comprehensively develop a list of all the affected victims and their relatives to ensure that they all benefit from the President’s offer.

She has further warned residents in the area to desist from using unauthorized boats to cross the river, saying they risk losing their lives.

Nabbanja has further warned residents of Kagadi and Kikuube districts to immediately stop doing illegal activities in the Bugoma forest reserve, adding that those who perished in the boat tragedy had gone to do illegal activities in the forest reserve.

She says Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is currently liaising with her office to deploy rangers in the forest reserve soon, noting that President Museveni recently okayed UWA to take over the management of the forest reserve.

Yosia Ndibwami, the Kagadi LC5 Chairperson, has applauded the President for the offer, saying most families of the deceased persons are financially incapacitated and that the money would help them arrange decent burials of their lost dear ones.

More than 20 people are feared dead following the boat tragedy that occurred on the river Nguse.  The incident occurred at Kyaleni Cell in Pacwa Town Council, Kagadi District, on Tuesday evening. Eight people are reported to have survived.

Preliminary reports indicate that a locally made canoe, carrying more than 30 passengers along with bags of charcoal, capsized while crossing the river. The passengers were travelling from Kikuube District to Pacwa Town Council in Kagadi at the time of the accident.

The victims are believed to be mainly charcoal burners and farmers who had crossed to Kikuube District for charcoal burning and farming activities and were returning to Kagadi when the accident occurred.

Sulaiman Birungi, the Commandant of the marine police, said all the passengers and the coxswain on the boat had no life jackets and that the boat was not worthy to be used for transportation.

Meanwhile, following the boat accident, Marine divers from both the UPDF and the Uganda police have so far retrieved nine bodies from the river. Four bodies were retrieved on Thursday, while five more bodies were retrieved on Friday afternoon.

According to Birungi, they will pitch camp in the area until all bodies are located and retrieved from the river.