Get to the root  of Makerere fire

The cause of the fire that razed down Kasubi tombs in 2010, or that killed 19 pupils of Budo Junior School two years before that, have never been known. These were some of the most painful fire tragedies – bar the Joseph Kibwetere-inflicted Kanungu Massacre of 2000 – in Uganda’s history.

In the wee hours of Sunday, the country’s premier institution of learning and symbol of academic excellence was left in sparks of spluttering fire at its main building. Fire fighters battled and put it out and although the scale of damage is yet to be established, initial estimates shows it is “significant.”

Those who have climbed the Hill or the flight of steps inside the Ivory Tower and those who appreciate what that tower symbolises for the nation, are genuinely grief-stricken. In that pain, they demand an inquest. The government must show it is accountable to the people and reveal what happened.

There have been scores of fires that have razed down markets and other structures over the years. And while markets can be forgiven for having no fire alarm system, it is inconceivable that such a landmark building, with its significance as a centre of knowledge and technology in the country, had no alarm system.

If indeed the Main Building did not have a fire alarm system, then it is an indictment on Makerere University and certainly something the authorities must look into for posterity. 
Equally indicting is the national fire response system. The Police Fire Brigade have over the years been faulted for arriving too late at the scene of fires. And they are often ill-equipped.

Images of fire fighters struggling to start the engine of one of their trucks at the scene was a dour indictment of the nature of equipment the government uses to save the country’s resources.
Even where the fires are at the noses of fire department such as were the cases at former Owino Market, damages have been costly. 

The question is why? Because it is easier for police to respond to quell a demonstration or deploy to block Opposition activities than respond to a tragic fire in time.
The country cannot afford to keep going in circles. As authorities investigate the cause of the fire that gutted the Ivory Tower, there must be a comprehensive inquest into fire response mechanism in the country.

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