A tragic incident occurred in Kihaguzi B village, Labbongo Sub County, Masindi district, where a 13-year-old girl was electrocuted while attempting to catch grasshoppers.
The girl, a primary three pupil at Bbookwe Primary School, accidentally stepped on an exposed electric wire at the grasshopper trapping site on Friday night.
According to Wahid Juma Babyesiza, the area district councilor, she was rushed to a nearby clinic but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Following the incident, the individuals present, including the site owner, reportedly fled. Police later arrived, collected the body for postmortem at Masindi Main Hospital, and detained the landowner where the incident occurred.
Authorities are still searching for the site owner, who remains at large.
This tragedy underscores broader concerns about children’s involvement in nighttime grasshopper harvesting.
Independent investigations indicate that many children, due to lack of supervision or parental guidance, participate in grasshopper trapping, often spending nights outdoors.
Some parents, such as Mary Tugume, feel compelled to bring their children along, while others like Samuel Atugonza believe this issue stems from parental negligence.
Grasshopper trappers at these sites report being overwhelmed by the number of children present, many of whom return even after being told to leave, sometimes accompanied by their parents.
Source: UG Reports