One more Student succumbs to Rakai Fire injuries

The number of students claimed by the fire that gutted a boy’s dormitory at St.Bernard Secondary School, Manya in Kifamba sub -county, in Rakai district, has climbed to 11 following the death of an injured student.

Brian Ssendyoowa was one of the over 30 students admitted to different hospitals, he however succumbed to fire injuries.

“It is unfortunate, we send our condolences the family and to everyone,” Police Spokesperson Emilian Kayima said.

Ssendyoowa now joins his ten colleagues who according to police were burnt beyond recognition and their families will require DNA tests to identify with them.

Kayima also said a team of experts and high level delegation had arrived at the school to continue with investigations.

“A high level delegation of senior police officers including forensic teams have been sent to the school that suffered the fire in Rakai district,”Kayima said.

Fellow students traumatised

The police mouthpiece said the tragic incident has traumatised a number of students at the school including the senior six candidates who kicked off their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examinations today.

“Many students are believed to be traumatised due to the inferno and the death. Notably the senior six candidates who are starting their exams this morning were too traumatised but the police spoke to them about the situation,”Kayima said.

He said that the names of the deceased students will not be revealed to the public until their relatives have been made aware of the deaths to avoid any possible outcome.

The Rakai DPC had earlier told this website that some students who have just completed their UCE exams and the dormitory warden had been arrested to help in investigations after leads had that there was a group of expelled students from the school who could have been behind the fire.

“We have not clearly found out how they accessed the school but we suspect that they coordinated the mission together with colleagues inside the school that on the day of the mission, it was easy for them to access the school,” the senior police officer said.

“On entering, the assailants who were armed with petrol and matchboxes first put padlocks on the dormitory’s door setting it ablaze.”

A total of over 50 students were admitted to Kitovu government hospital in critical condition after the tragic incident.

The police spokesperson however cautioned managements of various schools and other institutions of higher learning to around the country to tighten security around their schools to avoid incidents of the same nature.