Four staff held over Masaka children’s school fire
(R-L): Photo taken on October 31, 2023 shows Education Ministry PS Ketty Lamaro and the director for Education Standards Frances Atima together with other officials inspecting in the aftermath of a fire that gutted a dormitory at Kasaana Junior School in Masaka City. PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA
What you need to know:
- Ministry of education officials visited the devastated school even as parents like Catharine Nanjjuka were already questioning the initial police report.
A new twist has emerged following the Monday morning fire at a children’s school in Masaka City with police holding at least four staff members.
The 4:30am dormitory inferno at Kasaana Junior School killed seven pupils and injured five others including a matron Christine Adong.
The ill-fated dormitory accommodated about 15 children of Top and P.1 class.
Southern regional police spokesperson Jamada Wandera said detectives have since recorded statements from school head teacher Joseph Ssenkasi, dormitory in charge Nicolas Akandwanaho, night watchman Gozanga Ssenyonga and teacher Daphine Nakabito.
“It is true we are holding some of the staff members. We summoned them to record statements about what happened and we will release them as soon as detectives are through with their work,” Wandera said on Wednesday.
Wandera told journalists that detectives will also record a statement from the matron of the gutted dormitory after she is discharged from Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
“We have forwarded the files of the four school staff members to the Resident State Attorney to advise us on which probable charges to prefer against them,” Wandera noted in an interview.
By press time, it was unclear if the quartet were questioned to provide information as witnesses or suspects.
Wandera revealed that they are also expanding investigation into the possibility that the fire was started by arsonists contrary to their earlier report that the blaze came off a short circuit as the matron charged her phone.
On October 31, ministry of education officials visited the devastated school even as parents like Catharine Nanjjuka were already questioning the initial police report.
“I smell a rat in all these school fires blamed on short electric circuits, we need an expert to explain why most of these incidents happen at night not during daytime,” Nanjujuka told Monitor.
Police responded on Wednesday saying: “We are receiving conflicting accounts from different people and we promise to produce a genuine report about that inferno,” he remarked.
