Kampala — SEVERAL homes, school buildings and police quarters in Lira municipality were on Monday night swept off by heavy torrential rains that were accompanied by a storm. The rain that started at 7:00pm and took about 30 minutes, destroyed the already dilapidated houses in Lira police barracks and left several officers without shelter.

Household property such as furniture, beddings and clothes were scattered all over the compound. The Lira district police commander, Patrick Mawerere, said they needed new buildings because the old ones were too dilapidated to be rehabilitated.

Among the schools affected were Montessori and St. Mary's nursery and primary schools and Lira Modern and Sema Comprehensive secondary schools.

Hundreds of students were sent back home and their examinations that had started on Monday were postponed. Structures destroyed in schools included classrooms, dormitories, administration offices and a number of teachers' houses.

"We have no option but to send children back home because all the teaching and learning materials were destroyed," said Juliet Ogwang, the head teacher of Montessori Primary School.

She said three classrooms were destroyed, adding that it would take time to rebuild them and have the pupils back. The head teacher of St. Mary's Nursery and Primary School, Susan Wilobo, said beans, maize flour, learning charts, books and other teaching materials were destroyed.

Lira municipal council officials that included the town clerk, Paul Omoko, his deputy Joe Erem Oyie and the deputy mayor, Cyprian Otine, visited the affected institutions on Tuesday.

They promised to ask humanitarian agencies to assist the affected schools and individuals. Otine said several individuals, including shopkeepers, were affected.