In a tragic turn of events, six individuals lost their lives while setting up a tent for a wedding ceremony in Butawata Village, Kigando Subcounty, Mubende District. The victims were identified as Godwin Asaba, 40, Boaz Byamukama, 51, Jordan Ayebazibwe, 22, George Walusiimbi, 19, Ambrose Kakuru, 30, and Innocent Basamira, 32—all residents of Kigando.
Witness Michael Muwonge recounted the incident, explaining that the group was lifting the tent when a pipe accidentally came into contact with a live wire, causing a fatal electric shock.
“We were supposed to have a wedding ceremony for our colleague Nelson Bitamugaya, but it’s unfortunate our people died in an electric shock,” Muwonge lamented.
Local resident Benon Kwikiriza criticized the contractors responsible for electricity in Kassambya Constituency for not maintaining proper wire height.
“These wires are so close to the ground,” he said. “Imagine a pole for the tent hitting an overhead powerline. It’s really bad, and they should come and replace the electric poles.”
Aron Muzoora, the Kigando Subcounty chairperson, urged authorities, particularly those in the electricity department, to educate locals on the dangers of electricity.
He noted that this was not the first such incident in the area. “This is not the first time electricity has shocked our people. In a previous incident, a man constructing a house was not harmed,” Muzoora stated.
The groom’s family announced the wedding’s cancellation in respect for the deceased. Moses Asiimwe, brother-in-law of the groom, told Nile Post that the bride’s family had formally handed over their daughter to the groom’s family just the day before.
“In our culture, when you get a wife, you have to wed. It’s very sad that our brother-in-law experienced such a situation,” Asiimwe said.
Wamala Region Police Commander, Rachael Kawala, noted that there were illegal electrical connections in the area. The bodies of the deceased have been transported to Mubende Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examinations.
