KAMPALA – On Sunday evening, Mr Hassan Alwi Senior together with his wife and child were involved in a boat accident along Kiira Dam on Lake Victoria.
Mr Alwi is the father to the proprietor and director of the Kansanga based International University of East Africa.
The wife of Hassan Alwi Senior and the daughter drowned but Alwi Senior is currently undergoing treatment at Jinja Referal Hospital.
According to a statement from Uganda Police, Hassan Alwi’s wife Super Shakirah, and one their daughters Amirror Alwi drowned when their boat experienced engine failure and sailed through spillways of River Nile.
“At around 17:30hrs security manager Eskom called Nalufenya police on phone reporting drowning of people at Kiira dam, this was even registered under SD REF 09/30/08/2020.This involved two boats one which had four people namely Hassan Alwi,(father), Shakira Super (mother), Alwi Amirror (child),Jafalu Alwi (child), Okidi Patrick (staff). The second boat had one person not yet identified who had come to rescue the first boat, which had experienced an engine failure,” a statement from Police reads.
“Upon receipt of information, a team police officers from Nalufenya police station led by OC station, OC CID, Nalufenya medical team, together with Police marine responded to the scene and managed to rescue and saved two lives from the water which had reached Kiira dam Tabines,” the statement further reads.
Eskom Uganda Limited which runs the dam providing all necessary support to the rescue team also released a statement explaining how the accident actually happened.
“On Sunday 30th August 2020 at around 17:00hrs, a family of four tourists (two adults and two children) with a guide, experienced a boat engine failure on their way to the source of River Nile. Their boat was carried by the river current towards Kiira Power Station whose spillways were open to release excess water,” the statement reads.
It further explains that the tour guide was rescued by the UPDF marine while the family was washed through the spillways.
“A lone boater in an attempt to rescue the family was also washed through the spillway. Three people (an adult tourist, a child and the lone boater) have been rescued through the joint effort of our security team and UPDF marine and have been taken to Jinja Referral hospital for medical attention. UPDF marine and our security team are leading search efforts for the remaining two people. This regrettable incident has been reported to Jinja Police and is under investigation.”
