More than 200 students at Ntenungi Secondary School in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Kamwenge District, have been left without accommodation after a dormitory was destroyed by a fire suspected to have been deliberately set on Tuesday night.
The fire, which broke out at around 8:30 p.m., gutted the boys’ dormitory and displaced at least 215 students, leaving them without personal belongings and essential school materials.
Ntenungi Secondary School, a community institution established in 2022 by the humanitarian organization Finn Church Aid, serves both refugee learners and students from the host community. The school currently has an enrollment of 1,012 students.
According to the school’s head teacher, Burnnet Niwagaba, the cause of the fire is suspected to be arson, although investigations are ongoing.
“The fire started at around 8:30 p.m. and quickly spread through the dormitory. We suspect that it could have been started by unknown individuals, but the matter is now under investigation,” Niwagaba said.
He noted that the blaze destroyed nearly all the students’ belongings, including books, bedding, clothing and important academic documents.
“About 215 students lost everything in the fire. Some of the Senior Four candidates also lost their result slips and other academic materials. At the moment, the school is struggling to find temporary accommodation for the affected learners,” he added.
The incident comes barely a week after the school raised concerns over financial challenges following the suspension of donor support that had been paying teachers’ salaries.
Previously, Finn Church Aid supported the school by paying teachers through a programme run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and funded by the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
However, that support has since ended, forcing the school to rely largely on contributions from the Parents–Teachers Association to sustain operations.
“We had already been struggling financially after donor support was suspended. Now this fire has made the situation even worse,” Niwagaba said.
School authorities have appealed to government agencies, humanitarian organisations and well-wishers to support the affected students with basic necessities such as mattresses, bedding, scholastic materials and temporary shelter.
