Primary five learner boxes classmate dead at school

__________________

A learner has boxed his classmate dead bringing lessons at Wansimba Primary School, Butagaya sub-county, Jinja district to a standstill.

According to James Mubi, the Kiira region Police spokesperson, the Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 1:00pm incident involved two juveniles, Collins, 15 and Ashraf, 14.

The Primary Five pupils are said to have developed a misunderstanding during an English lesson as their teacher, David Nadiope had gone to the staffroom to pick his spectacles.

Nadiope, who is the school’s senior education assistant, said after interacting with the pupils, he gave them an exercise as he picked his spectacles to mark their work.

David Ndiope, the teacher who had gone to the staffroom to pick his spectacles to mark the English exercise narrating what happened. (Photo by Jackie Nambogga)

However, on arrival in the staffroom, that some two girls went running as they shouted atop of their voices for help as the two boys were engaging into a fist fight immediately Nadiope emerged out of class.

They reported how Ashraf had given Collins three punches around the neck for standing on top of the desk until he fell down.

“The boy kept calling a colleague for help thinking he was pretending until we realised the change of his breathe,” a pupil said.

That the deceased, a resident of Namavundu village, Butagaya sub-county was allegedly obstructing Ashraf from seeing the blackboard, yet they were required to handover work before lunch break.

“The Primary Five class is near the staffroom, but I found my deputy asking who were fighting as I told them to move forward but it was only. Ashraf who walked in front as Collins remained down,” Nadiope said.

However, he explained how learners kept telling him that Collins was unable to stand and asked them to carry him as he took Mulongo for disciplinary action to another teacher who was in the staffroom.

Nadiope said they called for a bodaboda rider to take him to the nearby Kamila Health Centre III as they went ahead with giving him first aid that involved removing his shirt to get fresh air coupled with aerating him as other learners hit his feet thinking he had suffered a shock.

He said the boy died during the first aid.

Immediately, he said the school head teacher, George Waibi rushed to the Butagaya sub-county Police post to report the incident which later arrived at the scene.

Parents bitter

However, irate parents turned their anger on Waibi and Nadiope and descended into chasing them away as they accused them of neglect.

“We want this school to be closed, how can children fight to their death when the headteacher and his staff are at school, this was out of negligence,” parents shouted.

Police said Waibi and the juvenile were arrested and detained at the Buwenge division Police for interrogation.

However, learners requested for the release of their headteacher saying that whereas arts teachers were on strike, at Wansimba, Waibi mobilised all his staff who were teaching them.

“In Butagaya, our colleagues are not learning, it is only at Wansimba where all the teachers defied the odds and never took part in the sit-down demonstration because our headteacher was able to convince them, let the Police release Waibi,” they stated.

Also, Joseph Byakika, the LC2 chairperson for Wansimba parish and a parent at Wansimba Primary School confirmed that all the teachers reported for duty on the first day.

“We engaged the teachers before schools resumed for third term and they all reported and have been teaching our learners,” Byakika said.

Aida Nabirye, the vice-chairperson of Wansimba village, said she got the shocking news while updating her national identification card.

Police retrieved the body from the scene to the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital for a postmortem.

Calls for reconciliation

Jinja district LC5 chairperson Moses Batwala who got to the scene said as local leaders, they would ensure reconciliation between both families of the suspect and deceased.

Moses Batwala, the Jinja district LC5 chaiperson attributed such violent scenes to parehts who expose ther children to violence movies from where they borrow a leaf. (Photo by Jackie Nambogga)

“We condemn the act as leaders but we want to ensure that the two families don’t promote hatred and this doesn’t mean that the suspect has no case to answer,” he said.

Batwala attributed such acts to lack of religious foundation in families and saying they needed to nurture their children in a God-fearing environment.

He cautioned parents against exposing children to violent movies as this was how they were learning such habits of fighting.

Meanwhile, the Police emphasised all schools and institutions of higher learning needed to strengthen counselling and guidance during and after lessons or lectures.

Mubi added that these also should build and encourage strong, safe and confidential systems of reporting such errant learners.