Students burn dorms
Jul 16, 2007
STUDENTS of St. Maria Gorreti Secondary School in Fort Portal set two dormitories ablaze on Thursday night. This follows the suspension of thirty students by the school administration after they hosted boys from St. Mary Seminary School to a party recently.
By Emmanuel Kajubu
STUDENTS of St. Maria Gorreti Secondary School in Fort Portal set two dormitories ablaze on Thursday night. This follows the suspension of thirty students by the school administration after they hosted boys from St. Mary Seminary School to a party recently.
No student was injured or killed in the incident. Rosemary Kemigisa, the headmistress, said some students smuggled jerricans of petrol into the school and poured it in the dormitories.
The dormitories had been commissioned by the Rt. Rev. Robert Muhiirwa, the Fort Portal Diocesan Bishop, in 2005.
The Police could not save the buildings since they did not have fire-fighting equipment.
Electricity in the town was switched off to avoid further damage.
The school organised temporary accommodation for students at the church while other parents hurriedly picked their children.
Collins Komakech, the Kabarole district Police chief, said they are holding Albert Musiime, a student of St. Mary Seminary, who was among the group of boys who entered the school.
Martin Abilu, the Western region Police commander, said they were still carrying out investigations.
This is the third fire outbreak in schools in the district in the last two years.
In 2005, a dormitory at Nyakasura Secondary School was burnt, while in March 2006, 10 pupils of the Islamic Primary School perished when a fire gutted their dormitory.
STUDENTS of St. Maria Gorreti Secondary School in Fort Portal set two dormitories ablaze on Thursday night. This follows the suspension of thirty students by the school administration after they hosted boys from St. Mary Seminary School to a party recently.
No student was injured or killed in the incident. Rosemary Kemigisa, the headmistress, said some students smuggled jerricans of petrol into the school and poured it in the dormitories.
The dormitories had been commissioned by the Rt. Rev. Robert Muhiirwa, the Fort Portal Diocesan Bishop, in 2005.
The Police could not save the buildings since they did not have fire-fighting equipment.
Electricity in the town was switched off to avoid further damage.
The school organised temporary accommodation for students at the church while other parents hurriedly picked their children.
Collins Komakech, the Kabarole district Police chief, said they are holding Albert Musiime, a student of St. Mary Seminary, who was among the group of boys who entered the school.
Martin Abilu, the Western region Police commander, said they were still carrying out investigations.
This is the third fire outbreak in schools in the district in the last two years.
In 2005, a dormitory at Nyakasura Secondary School was burnt, while in March 2006, 10 pupils of the Islamic Primary School perished when a fire gutted their dormitory.