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The children's bodies were recovered from the Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Mortuary after post-mortem examinations confirmed the devastating cause of death
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By Our Reporter
Masaka – Tragedy struck the quiet community of Kirinda, Buwunga Subcounty, when three young pupils from Little Angels Nursery and Primary School drowned in a clay mining pond, sending shockwaves through Masaka District. The victims, identified as Tonny Blaire Ssendi (3), Byrone Kiguli (4), and Junior Kateregga (6), were tragically laid to rest on September 16, their families left heartbroken. The children's bodies were recovered from the Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Mortuary after post-mortem examinations confirmed the devastating cause of death.
Parents of the deceased described the heart-wrenching moment they first discovered Kiguli's body floating in the pond. Desperately, with the help of neighbors, they pulled Ssendi and Kateregga from the thick mud at the bottom of the water.
Frank Mayanja, a relative who referred to himself as the chief guardian of the children, explained the tragic circumstances. “The kids had followed others heading to fetch water from the ponds. They drowned while trying to save each other,” he said.
Christine Nalunga, mother of two of the deceased and a teacher at Little Angels Nursery and Primary School, was too overwhelmed with grief to speak. The community became alarmed when the children didn’t return home by dusk on September 15, triggering a frantic search that led to the devastating discovery late that night.
The pond, a leftover from clay mining activities just 2 kilometers from the victims' home, has long been a site for brick-making and sand mining. Dan Mulema, the area councilor, voiced his concerns about the neglected pits. “These ponds have become death traps for our children. We must act to prevent more tragedies,” he urged. Local workers at the clay mining site said they had repeatedly warned parents to keep their children away. “We always tell them not to let their children come near the ponds, but they don’t listen,” one worker lamented.
In the wake of the tragedy, Masaka police moved swiftly to suspend illegal sand mining in Buwunga, Bukakata, and Kyesiga subcounties, where many investors had shifted operations after President Museveni’s directive to stop sand mining in Lwera, Kalungu District.
Southern Regional Police spokesperson Twaha Kasirye confirmed the suspension but provided no further details on next steps. Police had already cracked down on illegal mining sites last month, with Environment Police Chief Enock Abaine leading a raid that resulted in 10 arrests and the impounding of trucks used for sand mining.
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