Six students arrested after Rakai fire, ISO called in

Rakai, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Students at St Benards Mannya Secondary school in Kifamba sub county Rakai district have been instructed to return home following the inferno that razed down the boys dormitory last night. The fire left nine students dead.

The decision to close the school has been reached at an emergency meeting between security and the school administration which was also attended by the defense minister Elly Tumwine and Director General of Internal Security Organsiation (ISO)  Kaka Bagyenda on Monday.

Except for the candidates in senior six and four who are writing their final examinations, all the other students in lower classes have been instructed to return to their respective home until further notice.

John Baptist Ssemwanga, the school deputy headteacher in-charge of academics confirmws that premature closure of their term, saying they have also sent out notices to all parents to pick their children.

Police have however arrested six people including three senior four students in relation to the inferno. Those arrested are Stephen Kankiroho, Dickson Kisuule and Enoch Mugurusi all senior four students. The others are Achilles Mugerwa and Johnson Mugisha who are teachers and Adolf Kaggwa, the school’s warden.

The arrested students were serving a suspension from school on grounds of indiscipline, and were alleged to have participated or masterminded the arson, while the others according to police are going to help in investigations.

Meanwhile, the minister for Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni has also toured around the burnt school dormitories where she cursed the arsonists and delivered government condolence to parents and community.

She has blamed the incident to collapse in the value systems of the children by both the parents and community, however assuring that government is going to thoroughly pursue the matters to its logical conclusion.

She reveals that government is going to take charge of the treatment of all the injured students as well as providing financial support to the families that lost their children.

The Masaka diocesan catholic Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa, who is the superintends over the affected school also condemned the inhuman act that ended innocent lives, demanding that security helps them find the real culprits.

Bishop Kaggwa is afraid that their Austrian partners of; “Cotton On Foundation,” who helped them establish the school may be scared by the incident and stop their support.

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