15 May 2008
document
Kampala — THE Police have released the preliminary investigations into the death by fire of 20 pupils of Budo Junior School on April 14. Below is the report.
BACKGROUND During the night of 14th April 2008 at around 2100hrs, there was a fire outbreak at one of the buildings that had been converted as a dormitory at Buddo Junior School. The staff and workers of the school were the first to respond and the Fire Brigade followed later. The fire started from Nasolo Dormitory that houses P.4 girls totaling to sixty one (61) in number. It is said to have begun from a bed which was not occupied, where the house mother had piled some pillows which were not being used by the pupils. It later spread to Nalinya, Ssangalyambogo, Ssabaganzi and Collard (dormitories), which were all on the same building. The fire was first detected by some of the pupils in the said dormitory who made an alarm for rescue. Some of the occupants managed to get out by themselves while others were rescued by persons, who responded to the call. When the fire was finally contained and put out, nineteen pupils (19) all from Nasolo Dormitory were found to have died on spot while one died later from Mulago Hospital, all totalling twenty (20). In addition to the deaths, all the properties of the pupils in Nasolo were destroyed, while some were destroyed in other dormitories. 1 Investigations were immediately instituted under Wakiso Police CRB 5/12/2008. FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION Establish whether the cause of the fire was intentional and therefore criminal through an act of an arsonist(s), terrorist or otherwise; Identify and have the culprit(s) prosecuted in a court of law. Whether there was any criminal negligence on the part of those charged with the safe keep and welfare of the pupils and property of the school. Identify and have the culprit(s) prosecuted. Any other relevant investigations that may arise. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SCENE The scene of the fire was visited by a team of Police investigators, Fire Brigade, Government Analytical Laboratory and Umeme. Relevant samples from the scene were taken to the Government Laboratory for analysis. The bodies of the victims were retrieved from the scene and taken to City Mortuary for post-mortem (check) and later to Medical School for storage pending results of the DNA tests.Using DNA testing by the Government Analytical Laboratory, the bodies of the victims were identified and handed over to their next of kin for burial.
The findings of the Government Analytical Laboratory ruled out:-
Electricity as the cause of fire.
Self ignition as the cause of the fire.
Explosive device as the cause of the fire
Did not detect any fire accelerants like petrol or kerosene.
Cause of the fire was not established. However, he could not rule out arson. The finding of Umeme was that the fire outbreak was not as a result of an electric short-circuit.
The above findings, therefore, tend to point to the fire having been ignited/set up by somebody or something. INTERROGATIONS/INTERVIEWS
The former and current head teachers were interrogated and recorded statements.
A number of teachers were interrogated/interviewed and recorded statements.
A number of teachers who had been transferred were interrogated and recorded statements
All the house mothers including the one of Nasolo were interrogated and recorded statements
Most of the security guards were interrogated and recorded statements.
Some of the pupils who survived the inferno were interviewed and recorded statements.
Some parents were interviewed and recorded statements.
The District Education officer, Senior Education officer (posting officer), and Principal Inspector of Schools were interviewed and recorded statements.
The District Health Inspector was interviewed and recorded a statement.
From the above, the following have emerged:- >b> DORMITORIES The School has a total of twenty-three (23) dormitories, of these five were formerly classrooms and were later turned into dormitories. The following were noted:-
The building that was converted into a dormitory did not have provisions in them for the house mothers to sleep together with the children, hence they were sleeping separately.
Nasolo dormitory, whose pupils died in the fire, fell in this category. Its house mother together with others were staying in another room, which is a distance from the dormitory in issue.
The decision to convert the classrooms into dormitories was allegedly made by the school management committee and effected by the former head teacher Mr. Kayongo William.
The district urban officer, engineer and health inspector were not consulted as provided for in law and practice during this conversion.
Admission to the school/dormitory is done by the head teacher in consultation with the school management committee.
Previous inspection reports noted that the dormitories were congested and recommended for their decongestion. This was not immediately done due to lack of resources.
The former headmaster and school management committee should, therefore, take responsibility for the overcrowding in the dormitories.
Due to electricity problems, the building which caught fire was said to have been without electricity for some days although others say it was there but very weak. As electricity has been ruled out by experts, it is inconsequential.
In absence of electricity, house mothers use lanterns. Candles, match boxes or any other form of lighting is not allowed, save for torches.
The house mother of Nasolo dormitory claims she put out her lantern after lights-out and took it to her room. She produced it to the investigating officers as proof. The cause of fire, therefore, cannot be attributed to it.
The classroom building which was turned into dormitories has big windows facing the football field and smaller ones which open half-way on the opposite side. Although these should be closed at night, at times this is not done. Any person with criminal intention could, therefore, make use of this.
Much as Nasolo dormitory had two doors, only one was being used as the other was closed for no plausible reason. This may have contributed to the number of fatalities as there was only one escape route.
SURVIVORS/NASOLO DORMITORY:
There were sixty-one (61) pupils in Nasolo dormitory, all of them girls and mostly in Primary Four.
Forty-one (41) of them survived the inferno.
None of them saw how the fire started. They only realised when it was already burning.
They raised alarm and tried their best to escape the raging fire.
Many people came and assisted them.
When the fire was contained and put out, they helped to identify those who were missing. A total of nineteen bodies were recovered from the scene, while one died in the hospital.
None of them could explain how the fire started.
Nothing so far has been found to link any of them to the fire.
HOUSE MOTHER OF NASOLO DORMITORY (Damalie Basirika)
Joined Budo Junior in 1991 as house mother of Herbert Dormitory and had been with Nasolo Dormitory since its inception.
Main responsibility is to look after the children just like a mother does i.e. their wellbeing and safety, cleanliness, safety of their properties etc.
On the fateful day, she claimed that after putting the children to bed at 8.30pm, she retired to her room as usual and heard an alarm just as she was about to enter her bed and responded to it.
Some of the pupils who survived, however, say that the housekeeper had left earlier and did not even lead them in the night prayers as was the usual practice.
Other survivors stated that they did not see her in the rescue mission not until later when the Fire Brigade was in the place.
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