A tragic water transport accident at Mukono Landing Site, Chiforo Subcounty, Adjumani District, has led to a drowning incident and subsequent community unrest, according to a police report (VIDE CRB 488/2025) from Adjumani Police Station.According to a statement released by North and West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson SP Collins Asea, On July 24, 2025, at approximately 1:00 AM, Taban William, a 40-year-old fisherman, and his brother, Eruaga Dominic, were involved in a boating mishap on the Nile River.
Asea further revealed that, ” Both individuals, reportedly intoxicated after attending campaign rallies, were navigating a vessel when Eruaga lost control and fell overboard. Taban, who remained on the boat, was rescued by community members the following morning but failed to report the incident, believing his brother would return”
The body of Eruaga Dominic was discovered by fishmongers around 4:00 PM on July 25, 2025, along the riverbank at Mukono Landing Site. Infuriated by Taban’s silence, community members attempted to lynch him. He was rescued by the Local Council 1 (LC 1) and taken to Oliji Police Post for protection.Asea said Taban is now in custody at Adjumani Central Police Station (CPS) as investigations into the drowning continue.
A postmortem has been conducted, and Eruaga’s body has been released to the family. The case, registered as CRB 488/2025, remains under active investigation, with authorities promising updates as new details emerge.
This incident underscores Uganda’s growing drowning crisis, with a 2024 Makerere University School of Public Health report highlighting an average of nine drowning deaths daily, totaling over 3,000 annually.
The majority of victims are aged 5 to 25, with rural and peri-urban areas bearing the brunt of these tragedies. Globally, drowning remains a leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
