Two students, teacher remanded for attacking neighboring school over football match in Ntungamo

A magistrate’s court in Ntungamo District has remanded two students of Hill Side Academy Itojo and a teacher for allegedly invading Ruhanga Adventists Secondary School, assaulting students, destroying property and causing confusion.

The two students Aryaheebwa Kato, 18, and Orishaba Kakuru, 18, together with the school’s games master, Ariho Mudasiru, 43, are charged with four cases of  assault occasioning actual bodily harm, grievous harm, criminal trespass and malicious damage offenses. They allegedly committed the offences on March 21, 2022 when they invaded Ruhanga secondary school.

Each of the three face nine counts of grievous harm after nine of their alleged victims got seriously injured during the attack.

They also face trespass charges on the school and assault on the students who were never hospitalized.

Grade one magistrate, Mr Edgar Kakuru on Friday sent sent the three on remand pending completion of police investigations into the case.

“While they (suspects) have presented credible sureties, inquiries are still on and if released at this stage, they will likely interfere with investigations and thus cause injustice. For the safety of the applicant/ the accused persons, and the country, the application for bail is not granted,” Mr Kakuru ruled following the bail application hearing on Friday.

The three were arrested on Wednesday. According to the Ruhanga secondary school head teacher, Onesmus Kakuhikire, students guided by the teacher in custody attacked their school with machetes, sticks, among other items smashing all glass windows, cutting down the banana plantations, destroying the laboratory and school truck as well as damaging the school fence.

The incident followed a football match during in which Hill Side Academy Itojo lost to Ruhanga Adventists Secondary School.

The incident was one in a series of riots and inter-school invasions following soccer competitions in Ntungamo District. However, this is the first case in which suspects were arrested and remanded.