Headmaster, school warden arrested over negligence after four pupils burnt to death in dormitory

Police have arrested four people including the headmaster, school warden and teacher on duty to explain circumstances under which four pupils were burnt to death after a school dormitory in Kawempe caught fire on Saturday morning.

On Saturday morning, four pupils of New Crest Junior at Kibedi day and boarding primary  died  whereas three others  were left injured after the school girls’ dormitory caught fire at around 3:30am.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said preliminary investigations show that there was an act of negligence on the side of  the school management and this could have escalated the matters after the dormitory caught fire.

“The dormitory housing 53 pupils was congested with three decker beds . There was small space in corridors for pupils to find their way out in case of any incident. Bags and clothes were thrown all over the dormitory. There were no fire extinguishers and fire alarms,” Enanga said.

According to the police spokesperson, preliminary investigations have also indicated that inside the main dormitory was a smaller room in which the matron slept and a couple of other pupils and that is from here that the fire started.

Enanga said that since the room was small, it could have led to suffocation of the deceased pupils.

“This small room trapped young children who suffocated and got burnt beyond recognition.”

The police publicist however noted that when the fire started, the matron and askari helped evacuate a number of pupils who had been trapped inside the dormitory.

 Arrests

The police spokesperson however revealed that the school headmaster Twaha Sseruwu, teacher on duty Ahmed Ssengooba and the school warden Hamid Kabibi have been arrested over the matter whereas the school director, Hajji Abdu Kibedi and the KCCA Inspector of Schools in Kawempe have been summoned to record statements.

Enanga said the inspector of schools have to explain whether the school had been inspected well, including the dormitory before allowing it operate.

According to police, school management to always report to security any incidents of sabotage, conflicts and indiscipline that could lead to burning of schools.