Lightning kills 2 in Mityana, uganda

A heavy down pour has left 3 people dead; two of the deceased were struck by lightning.

Police identified the deceased as Vincent Mawanda, a resident of Nakyerira in Bulera Sub County, Mityana district.

Mawanda was struck by lightning as he was resting in his bedroom.

The second victim was a 16-year-old Joseph Walusimbi a student at St Kizito Bbanda SS in S2. The incident occurred at Lusalira landing site in Bbanda Sub County.

Another victim John Yiga a resident of Bekiina in Butayunja Sub County, a boda boda cyclist was hit by a tree as he was riding back home.

Latiff Zaake, the Mityana District Police Commander confirmed the disaster.

Three dead in Kenya

Three women have been killed by lightning in Masabo village, Kiamokama division in Kisii County.

The 3 were killed while working on a farm in the area

Masaba South OCPD Martha Ng'etich confirmed the incident saying the dead included two women and a class 8 pupil.

The class 8 pupil was set to sit for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at the end of the year.

According to the residents, there were signs of rain in the area but it had not yet started raining when the lightning struck.

Eye witnesses say that the 3 had been burnt beyond recognition.

Relatives, teachers and pupils gathered to stare at the tree where the 3 met their death.

The head teacher of Chironge Primary School John Ogucha termed the incident as “tragic”

The bodies have been taken to Gucha Sub District Hospital in Keroka.

Source: http://citizennews.co.ke/news/2012/local/item/21764-lightning-kills-3-in-kisii-county

Leader in drive to buy Lightning conductors for School

Bushenyi

Leaders in Bushenyi have launched a campaign for installing lightning arrestors to protect lives and property following recent incidents where lightning struck two schools in the district.

Eight pupils of Buramba Primary School in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality were killed by lightning, 17 others and a teacher injured last week. Early this month, lightning struck Bunyarigi Primary School in the Bushenyi Municipality injuring six pupils.

The drive, dubbed ‘Lightning Arrestors Campaign’ was launched on Friday at Buramba during the requiem service for the deceased. The LC5 chairperson, Mr Willis Bashaasha, appealed to the leaders to “wake up” and start forging ways of helping people because they are voted and appointed to serve people, protect their lives and property.

Urged to act
“We cannot sit and wait for the government to give us everything. We are the government,” Mr Bashaasha said. The campaign kicked off with a fundraising where Shs2 million was collected to buy an arrestor for Buramba Primary School.

Mr Bashaasha said the drive will continue until all public places install lightning arrestors.
Bushenyi-Ishaka MP Odo Tayebwa said the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness would help families that lost their children.

Presiding over the requiem service, the Rt Rev. Yona Mwesigwa Katoneene, the Bishop of West Ankole Diocese, said the public should repent of negligence and look for aggressive ways to avoid such tragedies. He pledged spiritual and financial support to the campaign.

STATEMENT BY ACLE FOUNDING DIRECTOR ON RECENT LIGHTNING DEATHS IN KENYA AND UGANDA

The dreadful tragedies of eight school children killed and 23 injured by lightning in one incident in Uganda on July 24 and the two school children killed in Kenya this week remind us of the thousands of people who are killed every year across Africa by lightning and other weather hazards.  The African Centres for Lightning and Electromagnetics (ACLE) headquartered at Makerere University Business School was formed to decrease these tragedies by giving public safety and injury prevention education, mounting warning systems, providing graduate education to train lightning and weather experts for Africa, pressing for lightning protection in schools and other vital public buildings, training lightning protection specialists and a range of other activities.  National Centres in countries across Africa act as partners in this effort utilizing their particular regional and local knowledge, personnel and talents.  

In addition to loss of life, lightning and other weather hazards can cause damage to infrastructure, utility transmission, electronics, oil and gas installations and other equipment that is vital to day-to-day life as well as to the greater development of the economies of Africa.  Beyond the immediate effect, there is ‘‘down-time’ and loss of productivity, cost of equipment replacement and repair, loss of data and records, and other retarding effects on economic activity.  For individuals, families, and small businesses, it may include food spoilage, loss of employment time and profit.

ACLE proposes to participate in the Lake Victor Basin Commission call for projects by forming partnerships with weather detection companies, national and local meteorological programs, telecommunications programs and others to provide weather warnings to people living near and depending on Lake Victoria for their livelihood.  In addition, ACLE proposes to work with media and educators to disseminate lightning safety information, collect data on injuries and to use the data to study the effectiveness of any interventions to determine ‘best practices’ that may be effective for other venues. 

ACLE looks forward to contributing to the safety and wellbeing of the people of Africa, allowing them greater security in which to raise their families and pursue their work as well as to contribute to the growing prosperity of the African business and technological communities.   

Prof. Emerita MaryAnn Cooper