Investigate school fires conclusively- Mayiga

The Buganda Kingdom premier Charles Peter Mayiga has implored government to investigate the fire that gutted St Bernard SS Manya in Rakai District and bring the culprits to book.

Mayiga said the country has had many such cases but reports never come out to pin the perpetuators.

He sent condolences on behalf of the Buganda Kingdom to families, friends, and the school that lost ten students in an infernal in the wee hours of Sunday.

‘On behalf of the Kingdom of Buganda and on my own behalf, I would like to extend condolences to the families of the students that lost their lives in the fire that caught St. Bernard SS Mannya, Kooki County, we also want to encourage the administration and the students that survived not to lose hope and I want to let them know that we are with them during this difficult time."

http://nilepost.co.ug/2018/11/13/someone-threw-a-bottle-inside-the-dorm-then-there-was-a-big-fire-rakai-inferno-survivors-narrate-ordeal/

“We urge the police to carry out conclusive investigations and the culprits arrested, arraigned before court and they get the punished to the full extent of the law because with out this, people will lose confidence in the law enforcement agencies.’’

The Katikkiro was receiving a report from Buwekula and SSingo counties where a baseline survey was conducted and it was found out that the two counties still have a problem finding clean water.

The Kingdom with an American Based organisation- Wells of Life, are working in partnership to extend clean water in all Buganda Counties for 22 years and an estimate of 100 boreholes are expected to be installed in every financial year.

Mayiga’s comments come following remarks by the Minister of Education and First Lady Janet Museveni, in which she vowed government would catch those behind the fires.

Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima yesterday told a news briefing that no arrests have been made following the fire that razed a dormitory housing senior three students of St. Bernard Secondary School in Rakai on Sunday.

http://nilepost.co.ug/2018/11/14/police-no-arrests-yet-over-rakai-school-inferno/

Kayima said that police had only interrogated six people, three students and three teachers but no one had been apprehended.

He said the police and other security agencies had intensified the manhunt for some of the suspected students said to be behind the fire that killed 10 students.

In the meantime, he said, police have flagged off a team of RPCs to visits schools across the country to aid in reminding school heads of the school safety guidelines that were released in 2008 following the Buddo Junior school fire.

http://nilepost.co.ug/2018/11/12/heres-the-list-of-students-who-died-in-rakai-school-inferno/

Parliament Tuesday paid tribute to the fallen students. Relatedly, government released a statement indicating its commitment to meet all burial expenses for the deceased and the medical bills for those still admitted

The minister of state for Higher Education, John Chrysostom Muyingo said government had directed all schools to adhere to all the security guidelines as issued by the Inspector General of Police.

 

By Salmah Namwanje