Three children, belonging to the same family, met a tragic fate at the Wagagai gold mine in Amagaro village, Buteba subcounty in Busia district on Christmas day.
According to local reports, the siblings, accompanied by another brother, set out from home in the morning with the intention of enjoying a swim at the gold mine, a familiar gathering place for several community children. The mine, known for its ponds, had become a popular spot for kids seeking fun.
Tragedy struck when the three siblings decided to take a plunge into the water, leaving one sibling on the sidelines.
Amos Okitwi, the local chairperson for Amagoro village says the incident was reported by the sibling who declined to swim.
“Four children went to swim. So when they reached there, three entered the water and one remained outside, that one run home to the parents and reported what happened ” said Okitwi
Furious locals have blamed the Chinese owned project for failing to properly fence the area to prevent such eventualities.
However, Okitwi says the Chinese previously constructed fences that were repeatedly vandalised by locals until they gave up.
“The place was fenced but people vandalised it so the chinese decided to leave it like that.They say once construction is done, a perimeter wall will be put up” he said
Meanwhile, in Jinja , parents to two children that drowned at the shores of Masese Landing site have been arrested and charged with negligence. The deceased including Ebere Fazali, 12 and Haksim Wambedde 10 died while swimming.
Local leaders allege that three children went swimming on christmas evening at 6:30pm. One of the kids died rescuing his friend, while the other narrowly survived. The Kira regional police spokesperson says the parents acted with negligence. “We have always engaged parents on safety of children. To always keep them in the company of an adult and not have them outside late” he said
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