Govt to insist on lightning conductors
THE death toll in the Kiryandongo lightning tragedy shot to 20 yesterday as the Government vowed to enforce the installation of lightning arresters in all public building.
By Steven Candia
THE death toll in the Kiryandongo lightning tragedy shot to 20 yesterday as the Government vowed to enforce the installation of lightning arresters in all public building.
Information minister Karooro Okurut told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala that the toll had shot up from 18, with two other children succumbing to death occasioned by the Tuesday bolt of lightning at the school.
Describing the incident as a tragedy and unfortunate, she said the lightning had left 36 people injured, 41 others admitted in the district and 15 transferred to Mulago Hospital for specialised treatment.
“It is a tragedy for the country that lightning seems to be striking people everywhere and we don’t know the cause. We send our condolences to the bereaved families,†Okurut said.
But speaking later at the same function, disaster preparedness state minister Musa Ecweru said six of the 15 children who had been transferred to Mulago had recovered and had been discharged.
But as the toll shot up, disturbing details emerged regarding the safety of most public buildings, school structures and health institutions. Ecweru said most of them do not have lightning arresters.
Preliminary investigations, he said, had established that Runyanya Primary School in Kiryandongo, where a bolt of lightning struck, had no lightning conductors.
“The school had no conductors as is the case with many other institutions,†he said.
Ecweru blamed this on the negligence on the people who are supposed to inspect and certify that buildings are fit for human habitation.
“We are going to ensure that public buildings are secure and this is will be both in the education and health sector. All local governments are going to be compelled to ensure that the codes are adhered too,†he said.
The Government, he noted, had dispatched some food to the bereaved families to help with the burial arrangements.
The commissioner of the meteorological department, Michael Nkalubo, explained the causes of lightning and highlighted safety tips.
THE death toll in the Kiryandongo lightning tragedy shot to 20 yesterday as the Government vowed to enforce the installation of lightning arresters in all public building.
Information minister Karooro Okurut told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala that the toll had shot up from 18, with two other children succumbing to death occasioned by the Tuesday bolt of lightning at the school.
Describing the incident as a tragedy and unfortunate, she said the lightning had left 36 people injured, 41 others admitted in the district and 15 transferred to Mulago Hospital for specialised treatment.
“It is a tragedy for the country that lightning seems to be striking people everywhere and we don’t know the cause. We send our condolences to the bereaved families,†Okurut said.
But speaking later at the same function, disaster preparedness state minister Musa Ecweru said six of the 15 children who had been transferred to Mulago had recovered and had been discharged.
But as the toll shot up, disturbing details emerged regarding the safety of most public buildings, school structures and health institutions. Ecweru said most of them do not have lightning arresters.
Preliminary investigations, he said, had established that Runyanya Primary School in Kiryandongo, where a bolt of lightning struck, had no lightning conductors.
“The school had no conductors as is the case with many other institutions,†he said.
Ecweru blamed this on the negligence on the people who are supposed to inspect and certify that buildings are fit for human habitation.
“We are going to ensure that public buildings are secure and this is will be both in the education and health sector. All local governments are going to be compelled to ensure that the codes are adhered too,†he said.
The Government, he noted, had dispatched some food to the bereaved families to help with the burial arrangements.
The commissioner of the meteorological department, Michael Nkalubo, explained the causes of lightning and highlighted safety tips.