Hearing of Masaka school fire case to start today
Suspects in the case of the St Benard SS, Mannya school fire are seen in the dock during a court session on April 26, 2019. PHOTO/FILE/WILSON KUTAMBA
What you need to know:
- On November 11, 2018, fire ripped through a Senior Three dormitory, leaving 10 students dead and 30 others injured.
Masaka High Court is set to start the hearing of a case in which four people are accused of torching a dormitory at St. Bernard’s secondary School, Mannya in Rakai District five years ago.
On November 11, 2018, fire ripped through the Senior Three dormitory, leaving 10 students dead and 30 others injured.
The case, which is before Masaka High Court judge Victoria Nakintu Katamba, is set to start with a pretrial session today with the state and defense lawyers going through evidence.
According to the amended charge sheet, three students at the same school and one resident of Maany Trading Centre are facing 48 counts, including 10 of murder, 36 of attempted murder, 1 of arson and 1 of attempted arson.
Prosecution alleges that the accused persons; Henry Taremwa ,18, a resident of Mannya Trading Centre , Rakai,(A1) ,Alex Mugarura, 18, a resident of Kihinga Village, Kasaana Sub-county in Sheema District, Dickson Kisuule, 18 , a resident of Kifamba Sub-county in Rakai District- all students at the same school plus self-employed 22-year-old Edison Niyo allias Edie,22 of Manya Trading Centre, and others that are still at large, on November 11,2018 at St Bernard’s SS killed Remigious Tamale and 9 other students in a school fire.
First lady and also education minister Janet Museveni (hat) inspect St Benard's, Mannya on November 12,2018 in the aftermath of a dormitory fire that left 10 students dead. PHOTO/FILE
Presiding judge Nakintu told parents of the accused persons on Monday that chief state attorney Noah Kunya and the defense team led by Sam Ssekyewa were supposed to meet first in the pretrial session before court can embark on the hearing of the case where the students have been on remand for more than five years.
“It has been a long spell, but court secured some resources and managed to fix this case in this session, it’s finally going to be heard and disposed of,” she told court yesterday.
Defense lawyer Isabella Nakimera, who was holding brief for counsel Ssekyewa, told court on Monday that they need some time to go through the case file since they had just received the file.
Nakintu adjourned the matter to Tuesday afternoon for the said pretrial session.
Agnes Namukwaya, one of the relatives of the accused persons could not hold her excitement on seeing her relative after nearly four years.
“We are happy that case is finally coming up for hearing,” she told Monitor as the accused persons were further remanded to Masaka Central Prison.
