Police in Rukungiri district are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of two fishermen who were allegedly killed in the waters of Lake Edward.
The deceased are Sunday Moses, 22, a Mukiga fisherman from Rwenshama landing site, resident of Rumira cell, Bugangari parish, Bugangari sub-county, Rukungiri district, and Namanya Innocent, 26, also a Mukiga fisherman from Rwenshama landing site, resident of Kyehunde village, Bwambara parish, Bwambara sub-county, Rukungiri.
According to a police statement, on July 8, 2024, at around 2 pm, five fishermen – Atwibu Mwesigwa, Mukasa Rajabu Midedo, Byaruhanga Apollo, Sunday Moses, and Namanya Innocent – employed by Mugenyi Aisha, set off to Lake Edward for fishing activities. They spent three days fishing before the incident occurred.
However, On July 11, 2024, at around 10:30 am, while preparing their hooks in the Kagezi area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Atwibu Mwesigwa saw Congolese soldiers approaching them. He raised an alarm, alerting his colleagues to flee for their lives. The soldiers started firing bullets, and the fishermen ran in different directions. When they regrouped at their meeting point, Namanya Innocent and Sunday Moses were missing.
The remaining three fishermen – Mukasa Rajabu Midedo, Byaruhanga Apollo, and Mwesigwa Atwibu – returned to Rwenshama landing site and informed their employer, Aisha Namugenyi, and other residents about the incident. The families and friends of the missing fishermen went back to the Kagezi area and began searching for them. On July 15, 2024, the bodies of Namanya Innocent and Sunday Moses were recovered along the shores of Lake Edward in the Kagezi area.
Asp Elly Maate, the Kigezi region Police spokesperson, stated that the case of disappearance had been registered at Rwenshama police station and was being investigated as murder.
Maate confirmed that statements were recorded from the survivors, a postmortem examination was conducted, and inquiries were ongoing to determine the cause of the murders.
ENDS///////
