RUKUNGIRI- Five school going children and a woman are reported to have drowned Karushekye crossing point on River Kanshekye which borders Ruhinda and Bwambara Sub counties in Rujumbura Constituency in Rukungiri District.
The Area LC 1 Chairman Wallen Niwagaba of Kashekye II disclosed this April 9th 2025 while showing the dire state the village is going through to Ms Innocent Nabaasa Kashobera at the spot where the children are reported to have drowned as he pleaded to her to help the residents construct a temporary bridge to stop the incidents.
Niwagaba said that as local leaders they have always requested the elected to construct a permanent bridge for them across the river but no one has ever yielded to their requests despite numerous reminders.
He said that the bridge is the shortcut for residents from Bikurungu can use to cross to Nyarwimuka parish in Ruhinda Subcounty but this has never been put into consideration by the leaders in office and because of this negligence more people especially children continue to drown in the river especially when in rains heavily and the river floods.
Ms Nabaasa Kashobera who visited the spot where the people cross from expressed concern about the situations and wondered why such a critical bridge has never been prioritized, and through the chairman LC 1’s office, she gave support for a temporary bridges construction and committed to continue lobbying through government institutions for a permanent bridge in order to prevent more loss of lives.
Ms Nabaasa Kashobera noted that every life matters and the people of Bikurungu and Ruhinda should not continue suffering as they continue to lose their beloved ones and therefore she will use her own resources to support the community to construct a temporary bridge as she pushes for a more permanent bridge.
Nabaasa Kashobera noted that the residents are agriculturists who need to take their farm produce from either side of Bikurungu and Ruhinda especially on a weekly market day and this should be the reason to have the bridge put in a shortest time possible as one way to create Wealth among the locals.
One of the residents, Ms Generous Nshekanabo said that for many years crossing the river at Kanshekye from Bikurungu to Nyarwimuka in Ruhinda Subcounty has been a nightmare because sometimes people have drowned and welcomed Ms Nabaasa Kashobera decision to support them construct a temporary bridge to ease the crossing over from either side.
Kenneth Biryabarema, the Lay Leader at Nyamitooma Church of Uganda in Kanshekye II village in Eastern Ward in Bikurungu Town Council said that lack of the bridge hinders business dealings between Bikurungu weekly market and Ruhinda Subcounty where most of the produce comes from.
He also added that school going children from Nyarwimuka attend school at Nyamitooma Primary school but find difficulties in crossing the river and called on leaders to take it as a priority.
