Six South Sudanese children die in Kajjansi house fire

Police in Kampala Metropolitan are investigating circumstances under which six children died in a house fire in Namulanda B Zone, Kajjansi Town Council – Wakiso District in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

According to the Kajjansi Town Council Mayor, Mr Al Bashir Kayondo, the fire whose cause is still a subject of police investigations, started at around 1:30 am. However, efforts by residents and the police fire brigade that responded in time were frustrated due to poor access to the residence.

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Kayondo added that there is a need for people to follow the Building Control Act by considering leaving a space between their residences to allow easy access to their homes in case of such emergencies.

“If people had access to that residence, we believe we could have been able to rescue some of these children, but because some of these buildings were constructed when this place was still a sub-county status, they aren’t planned well,” he said.

Mr Joseph Ssemwogerere, the area councilor said they rushed to the scene after receiving news of burning houses and found residents trying to put out the fire and were shortly joined by the police.
The Deputy Public Relations officer for Kampala Metropolitan Police, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said the deceased were aged between two and 16.
“The fire engulfed the residence of Bakita Ayang, a South Sudanese national, where six children were trapped. Despite efforts by community members to rescue them, the children, aged between two and 16, succumbed to the fire.

Mr Owoyesigyire said initial observations suggest that the fire originated from an electronic kettle connected to a socket and left in the sitting room unattended.
“Further inquiries will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the fire,” he said.