GAHINI - Her  school had reportedly spent days without water. She decided to go to Lake Muhazi to fetch water but little did she know she would not come back.

The deceased, Vena Kaddu, 16 was a student of Groupe Scolaire de Gahini in Eastern Province. She died in the afternoon hours of February, 28 as she tried to swim in the Lake.

Kaddu was buried in Kabeza-Remera in Gasabo District on March 1. The deceased’s classmates who talked to this reporter described Kaddu as a hardworking and dedicated student.

"She was also social and loved to crack jokes with others,” the deceased’s classmate who declined to be named recalls.

"But the school’s leaders should be held responsible because we had no water at school and that is why students went to the Lake,” another senior six student who spoke on condition of anonymity said yesterday.

Following the incident, police in the area arrested the school’s headmaster Luke Kalemangigo for questioning. He was released hours later.

Police also arrested the head of discipline committee and the school’s Matron.  A source at the school said the Matron and head of disciplinary committee could be charged with negligence and causing death of the student.

When contacted yesterday, Police spokesperson John Uwamungu confirmed the development and said the school’s head had been charged with negligence of their duty.

"They were arrested on March 1 and taken to Ngoma Court on March 4. They were released on bail,” Uwamungu said by phone yesterday.

Before the incident, many students would go to the lake and swim. Others would wash their clothes from the Lake.
This is not the first incident.

Two years back, a student from Gakoni Technical School in Gatsibo district died after the student went swimming and ended up drowning.

According to reports, the deceased was part of a larger group of about 20 students who had gone to the Lake to swim. Kaddu, a Kenyan, joined the school recently.

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