Latrine collapses, kills two
Dec 27, 2007
TRAGEDY struck Manafwa High School in Mbale town on Christmas Eve when a pit latrine collapsed and killed two young men.
By Joseph Wanzusi
TRAGEDY struck Manafwa High School in Mbale town on Christmas Eve when a pit latrine collapsed and killed two young men.
The school proprietor, Steven Namonyo, said the deceased were part of three men who had been contracted by the school to dig the latrine.
He said they were on the final stages of the work – at the bottom of the pit – when loose soil buried them 40 feet under.
Namonyo identified the deceased as Muzamiru Waseke, 35, and Julius Kawu, 25, who are both residents of Nyanza village in Kamonkoli sub-county, Budaka district.
“Hours before the incident, I had advised them to stop digging any deeper after seeing that the pit was beginning to produce water but they told me that it was not yet dangerous,†Namonyo said.
A survivor, Alex Simba, who looked devastated by the incident, told The New Vision that on the fateful day, the duo descended to the bottom of the pit to complete the job at about 5.00pm. “I saw the soil collapsing on my colleagues and rushed to alert the school security guard who called in the Police Fire Brigade,†he said.
However, the Fire Brigade was unable to rescue them and had to wait till the following morning.
They later retrieved the bodies after close to three hours. The head teacher, George Ongodia, said they would meet the burial expenses. He also pledged to pay school fees for the biological children of the deceased through primary and secondary school.
TRAGEDY struck Manafwa High School in Mbale town on Christmas Eve when a pit latrine collapsed and killed two young men.
The school proprietor, Steven Namonyo, said the deceased were part of three men who had been contracted by the school to dig the latrine.
He said they were on the final stages of the work – at the bottom of the pit – when loose soil buried them 40 feet under.
Namonyo identified the deceased as Muzamiru Waseke, 35, and Julius Kawu, 25, who are both residents of Nyanza village in Kamonkoli sub-county, Budaka district.
“Hours before the incident, I had advised them to stop digging any deeper after seeing that the pit was beginning to produce water but they told me that it was not yet dangerous,†Namonyo said.
A survivor, Alex Simba, who looked devastated by the incident, told The New Vision that on the fateful day, the duo descended to the bottom of the pit to complete the job at about 5.00pm. “I saw the soil collapsing on my colleagues and rushed to alert the school security guard who called in the Police Fire Brigade,†he said.
However, the Fire Brigade was unable to rescue them and had to wait till the following morning.
They later retrieved the bodies after close to three hours. The head teacher, George Ongodia, said they would meet the burial expenses. He also pledged to pay school fees for the biological children of the deceased through primary and secondary school.