The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Japan has donated five firefighting trucks to the Uganda Police Force (UPF).
The donation comes a day after the Sunrise hotel building was gutted by fire, which took nearly four hours to completely contain.
The firefighting trucks were received on Thursday by the Inspector General of Police, Abas Byakagaba, at the Police Headquarters in Naguru, accompanied by his deputy James Ocaya and the director of fire and rescue services Assistant Inspector General of Police, Stephen Tanui.
Byakagaba said the new equipment will enhance public safety and support the police force’s efforts to respond to fire outbreaks more effectively.
AIGP Tanui’s report on fire and other emergencies recorded in 2024 shows that 1,280 fire incidents were handled. However, 228 lost their lives in fire and other emergencies, which calls for improved efforts to rescue lives.
Some of the major deadly fire incidents recorded in 2024 occurred at the Kigoogwa trading centre along Luweero road, leaving 26 people dead. Although at the scene, the fire fighters and other security agencies collected 11 bodies, 15 others died in various health amenities where they had been rushed for treatment.
In 2014, six children aged between two and 16 years perished in a fire at Mulanda B, Kisubi parish, Kajjansi town council, in Wakiso district. The fire, whose cause wasn’t well established, razed the house of Bakita Ayang, a South Sudanese national.
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