Mbarara SS students strike

Apr 09, 2002

By Allan TuryagumaTHE anti-riot Police yesterday used tear-gas and rubber bullets to quell a violent strike at Mbarara Secondary School. Students destroyed property and pelted stones at their teachers, accusing them of not supporting sports.The students threw stones at the mobile Police pick-up truck, smashing its windscreen and vandalised a white saloon car belonging to a teacher.Three students were arrested by the Police in the rioting that began at about 11:00am.“We were having our break tea when we heard a torrent of stones on the roof of the administration block. Checking outside, we found that the students had besieged us and we called in the Police,” a teacher said.Just as the teacher was talking to The New Vision, the students re-organised and armed with stones and bottles, they invaded the school compound ready to cause more havoc.But the Police overpowered the students and pursued them to the town streets where they fought several running battles, bringing business to a standstill. The Regional Police Commander, Edward Ochom, commanded the operation.The students said they wanted an explanation from the administration why they were not allowed to participate in the schools’ sports gala at Kakyeka Stadium last weekend.“Every term we pay money for sports but last Saturday we were disturbed when we were barred from competing with other institutions simply because our school failed to pay the entrance fee,” a student said.Mr. Geoffrey Nuwagaba, the deputy headmaster, said “We needed over sh200,000 to enter that gala, which we did not have at the time.”

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