Thugs raid Jinja school of nursing

A police investigation into the theft of over 20 smartphones belonging to students of Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery on Sunday night has revealed that the government institution lacks security and is being guarded by cooks.

At around 2:30am on Sunday, two unidentified masked men, reportedly dressed in overalls, accessed one of the girls’ dormitories and fled with 21 smartphones, triggering heavy Police deployment at the institution on Monday to avert a strike by the students.

Mr Abbey Ngako, the Kiira region Police Spokesman, said: “We found out that the school does not have security in place and that cooks are the ones manning the institution.”

He added: “Thugs broke into the school on Sunday night, but when Police went on ground, unfortunately all the gates were locked and there was nobody to open or talk to us from 2:30am to 5am.”

According to Mr Ngako, the [school] administration is faced with several challenges, including alleged failure to observe Covid-19 guidelines, like social distancing where the students sleep.

“Most of the doors and windows of some of the dormitories are broken and cannot be locked, which gives any felon leeway to enter and exit the premises,” he added.

While 21 phones were allegedly stolen on Sunday night, a student who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, including expulsion, said at least 100 smartphones and 10 laptops belonging to students have been stolen ‘over a period’.

“We don’t have any armed security personnel in this institution at night, meaning if something serious happened at night, it is hard to rescue us. Just last night, Police returned but they were locked out,” he said.

Ms Mary Nakagwa, the deputy Principal, said they are handling the matter and will inform the press, and that they have procedures to follow before talking to journalists.

Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery was started in 1954 by the Government of Uganda to support the training of enrolled nurses and enrolled midwives.

But, with the Government policy of phasing out enrolled nurses and enrolled midwives, the school has expanded the curriculum to train Registered Pediatric and Comprehensive Nurses. It is located in Eastern Uganda, Jinja District. The School is a government institution managed under the Ministry of Education of Sports.