Govt probe reveals causes of school fires

A year-long investigation into the cause of school fires has revealed that most fires were deliberate acts of arson.

Following a spate of school fires that left property worth millions of shillings destroyed and learners dead, the National Building Review Board (NBRB) conducted a countrywide investigation between May 2022 and May 2023 to determine the cause of the fires.

The NBRB monitors the building, environment of public and government structures, and is directly under the Ministry of Works and Transport, whose minister gave the directive to conduct the investigation, according to the NBRB Manager of Communications, Mr Herbert Zziwa.

Mr Zziwa, who added that their mandate also extends to fires, said their investigations revealed that 50 percent of the fires gut commercial structures, 35 percent schools and the remainder gut residential properties.

“Our investigations on school fires discovered that the most-affected learners are aged between six and 12 years, while learners with disabilities are more prone,” Mr Zziwa said in an interview on April 24, adding that the investigation was carried out in 120 schools across the country.

“Fifty percent of those schools were private, while 50 percent were government-aided; also, 50 percent were secondary, and a similar percentage were primary,” Mr Zziwa added.

Mr Zziwa said their investigations suggest that most fires were deliberate acts of arson. 

“People are burning schools,” he added.

Mr Zziwa also cited negligence among students, saying some students smoke and do not discard “left overs” (cigarette butts) properly, which can sometimes start a fire if the conditions permit, while some schools don’t burn rubbish.

The investigation also cited poor maintenance of school property, revealed by electricity wires being eaten up by rats, and also “acts of God” (lightning).

“Our investigations also found out that most schools are congested, learners have no information on fire safety, don’t carry out drills, lack fire assembly points, firefighting equipment like hydrants or are expired, or don’t know how to use them.

Of the 120 schools under survey, 60 were secondary (government and private) and 60 were primary (government and private).

“Further still, the dormitories are burglar-proofed, and most times locked by the matron who leaves with the key and doesn’t stay at the school, the district inspectors of schools and district education officers aren’t doing their job, while school owners are money-minded,” Mr Zziwa added.

Inspection
At least 500 city, district and municipality building committees members, together with district inspectors of schools and education officers descended on Jinja City on April 24 on a field visit to observe the minimum standards in dormitories, especially regarding fire safety measures.

At PMM Girls Secondary School, Ms Sarah Adongo, the Kumi District Education Officer, said one of the dormitories was congested, meaning in case of any disaster, it will not be easy for the students to run out.

“We have also observed that the windows will not give that free exit for the students,” Ms Adongo noted.

She added: “We have also looked at the security of these learners at night, just in case the girls want to come out, there seems to be no easy access to the washrooms for them to help themselves; we are looking at the issues of lightning arresters in this particular building.”

She recommended that the school immediately plan to decongest the dormitory so that students can easily evacuate in case of an emergency.

At Jinja Senior Secondary School, Ms Shamim Chebet, the Kween District Inspector of Schools, said the school was “quite unhealthy”.

“There is a lot of congestion in the dormitories, which is so unhealthy, bottles are dumped everywhere, no wires to hung clothes, no ramps for students with special needs; the school generally needs renovation,” she said.

Mr Isaac Balimusangayo, the headmaster, declined to comment on the issues raised.

The chairperson of the Busoga Private Schools’ Owners Association, Mr Swaibu Kitezala, said the main cause of school fires is malice caused by those with ill intentions and grievances.

Mr Kitezala said the grievances can be among teachers, the board, students, or the community, but in most cases, it is among the teachers who go to either the students or communities.

“If you are to list the main cause of school fires from the first to last, malice is the major one, while the rest, including electricity, someone leaving an iron on, congestion, among others, are additional causes,” he said.

The National Chairman of the National Private Educational Institutions Association (NPEIA), Mr Hasadu Kirabira, said the school fires should be looked at in two ways: internally and externally.

He said there is need to look at the role of stakeholders in getting rid of school fires, adding that they have held several meetings with the NBRB and the Ministry of Works, aimed at adopting policies to mitigate fires, and they were advised to work with the police fire brigade.

“A fire extinguisher weighs five kilogrammes; you can’t tell me that it can extinguish fire which a fire-fighting truck has failed to put out; schools have fire extinguishers, but don’t know how to use them,” Mr Kirabira said.

He described the school fires as a complex matter, saying even some schools which are less congested end up being gutted, suggesting that the NBRB should bring designs that should guide them in evacuating students in case of a fire outbreak.

“Before you come to us, focus on other stakeholders as well; we (NPEIA) invited the police fire brigade to join us on our countrywide assessment of school fires, but they said they don’t have money; now, you want me to pay you to do your job?” he asked.

The NBRB is supposed to conduct its monitoring of construction of public and government structures through city, district and municipality and town council building committees, but they are yet to get to the Town Council, according to Mr Zziwa.

About the school fires
Causes of school fires
1. Most fires are deliberate acts of arson, especially schools.

2. Negligence from students, some smoke and leave leftovers to burn.

3. Poor maintenance (wire insulation eaten up by rats, causing short-circuit). 

4. Acts of God (lightning).

5. Congestion, learners have no information on fire safety.  

6. Lack of fire drills.

7. Schools lack fire assembly points.

8. Schools lack fire-fighting equipment.

9. Most hydrants are empty, while others don’t know how to use them.

10. Burglar proofing of dormitories, students are locked inside the dormitories by matron. 

11. Poor or lack of inspection by district education officers and district inspectors of schools.

12. School owners are money-minded.

Statistics 
1. 120 Schools sampled; 60 primary, 60 Secondary 

2. 50 percent of the fires have happened to commercial structures, 

3. 35 percent of schools, and remainder residential structures

4. Most affected learners are between ages 6-12, while those with disabilities are also prone to the fires. 

School fire incidents
In October 2022, fire gutted a dormitory at Salama School for the Blind, a boarding school for visually impaired students in Mukono District, killing 11 girls between the ages of four and 13.

The school was home to about 70 visually-impaired children, while the dormitory housed 17 children.

Last month, four pupils at Victory Nursery and Primary School in Busia town died after the boys’ dormitory was gutted by fire, while two others were hospitalised after suffering burns.

A day later, fire gutted a makeshift dormitory at Billy and Polly Nursery and Primary School, also in Busia, destroying all the learners’ property. 

Within the same week, at least 20 pupils at Sibirisye Primary School, still in Busia District, escaped unscathed after fire gutted a boys’ dormitory.

The police have cited a case of suspected arson in the Busia school dormitory fire that left four pupils dead.

Following the Busia school fires, Mr Moses Mugwe, the Bukedi South Region Police spokesperson, said the  Victory Nursery and Primary School fire may have intentionally been started.

“We have spoken to one of the survivors who narrated to us that he heard something being poured in the dormitory, and all of a sudden, a blast ‘that produced a huge flame’ went off,” Mr Mugwe said at the time.

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