Kyeizoba Girls Burn Dormitory, School Closed

Kyeizooba Girls Secondary School in Bushenyi district has been closed and over 1000 students sent home after one of their dormitories was burnt down this morning.

The students turned violent last night and set one of their dormitories called Accra House on fire.

Richard Anyama, the DPC Bushenyi, said that police were called in by the school authorities to stop the fire in vain.

Anyama said that the fire vehicle from Mbarara was called to save the building but it was too late.

He estimates that close to 5 million shillings was lost in the dormitory that housed 38 students. Property lost in the fire includes box cases, books, metallic beds, documents and mattresses.

Headmistress of Kyeizooba G SS, Catherine Freedom Kitariisibwa who looked puzzled described the situation as unfortunate.

She said that at around 5:00 am when the students left their dormitory to go for morning prep lessons, they suddenly noticed that one the buildings was on fire. They called police and fire brigade but the fire was already out of control.

There were chaotic scenes at the school and traffic along Rwentuuha-Bugongi was paralyzed with stranded students who were given only hour to vacate the school premises.

Anyama said the burning of the dormitory comes after their fellow students were earlier arrested by police in Bushenyi on Tuesday 16th July 2013. The students had been found with stones and sticks ready to destroy the school.

The students were granted bail yesterday. Trouble seemed to have started when the students came to pick their property from the school and mingled with their classmates. It is believed they could have conspired to burn down the dormitory.

Anyama however could not rule the involvement of some of the staff members at the school saying that they might have had a hand in the destruction.

A student who preferred not to be named accused the headmistress of being harsh, restricting their interactions with male students from Nganwa and St Kagwa High schools.

Saul Rwampororo, the Bushenyi district education officer, described the Kyeizooba students reasons for rioting as nonsensical. He said that students should be sent home pending investigations.

The situation at Kyeizooba G SS becomes the worst in a series of strikes that have so been registered in greater Bushenyi districts.