NEWS- Another devastating scene has been registered in Rubanda district after the lightning strike claimed two lives on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Treasure Arinda, a 13-year-old son of Vincent Wednesday and a Primary Five pupil at Kacherere Primary School, and Elia Mwebesa, also 13 years, a son of Patrick Barigye, residents of Kilwa village, Kiruruma ward, Kacherere town council.
It’s said that the duo was fatally struck on Friday evening while collecting firewood near their homes during a heavy downpour in Kigezi.
According to Ernest Rwamirengye, the Kilwa village Vice Chairperson, it’s very unfortunate that lightning robbed the village of the lives of very young ones who would be leaders of tomorrow.
David Bitakaramire, the grandfather of the children, expressed shock and a desire for the government to investigate why Kigezi experiences frequent lightning incidents. He called for necessary advisory measures to mitigate this recurring issue.
ASP Elly Maate, the Kigezi Regional police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.
“We picked up the bodies of the deceased minors, conducted postmortem examinations and then handed them over to the relatives for funeral arrangements. It’s a very unfortunate incident,” said Maate.
The Kigezi sub-region has a history of lightning-related fatalities. In March 2023, Ambrose Kanunu, 35, and his sons Justus Asiimwe, 7, and Arnold Habomugisha, 5, from Rwamuyora village, Nyarurambu parish, Muko sub-county in the same district, met a similar fate.
Other incidents in December 2022, September 2021, and earlier in April 2018, in various villages within the Rubanda and Kanungu districts claimed many lives, highlighting the recurring nature of this issue in the region.
