In Kayunga District, on the night of Friday, a 28-year-old prison warder named Rajab Obelere drowned in a fishpond while attempting to catch fish without authorization. This incident occurred at Bulawula Prison Farm. The tragic incident is now under investigation by the Kayunga District Police.
The Kayunga District Police Commander, Rosette Sikahwa, revealed that the deceased, along with a colleague, had been assigned to guard the fishpond that night. However, they chose to secretly try and catch fish using a hook, and it was during this unauthorized activity that Obelere slipped into the pond.
James Muholi, the officer in charge of the farm, attributed the unfortunate incident to the gum boots Obelere was wearing. Hooks used for the illegal fishing were discovered at the scene.
An unidentified prison warder who was present with Obelere attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful. In a bid to alert their colleagues, he fired a shot into the air, prompting others to rush to the scene. Tragically, they found Obelere already deceased.
James Muholi expressed his sorrow, stating that it was unfortunate that Obelere lost his life in such circumstances, especially considering he had been transferred to the prison just a month ago. Muholi explained that warders are typically deployed to guard the fishpond due to incidents of theft by residents from neighboring communities.
As of the time of reporting on Saturday, the deceased’s body was at Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital, awaiting a postmortem examination. The police continue their investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
