By Tolit Ivan
Government agencies, the Uganda Police Marine Unit and civil society organisations are stepping up efforts to reduce drowning deaths by 25 percent over the next five years, with high-risk island communities among the priorities.
Every day, an estimated eight people lose their lives to drowning. Fishing communities, boat passengers, and children who cross water bodies to reach school are among those most exposed to the danger.
Senior Superintendent of Police Bashir Siriba, coordinator of the National Drowning Prevention Programme, said the government is finalising a national strategic plan to coordinate interventions by ministries, local leaders, beach management units, fisheries protection units and civil society organisations.
The Draft Drowning Prevention Strategy 2025/26–2029/30 estimates annual fatalities at between 1,400 and 3,000.
However, experts warn that inadequate reporting means the actual number could be higher. Research by Makerere University School of Public Health has identified lakeside communities as particularly vulnerable. It also found that about 95 percent of people who die in boat-related incidents are not wearing life jackets.
