By Milton Bandiho
Police in Sheema district have arrested two people who allegedly set ablaze a boys’ dormitory at Bright Age primary school in Kanyegenyege cell, Masheruka town council.
Mr. Marcial Tumusiime, the greater Bushenyi police spokesperson identified the suspects as Ms. Jovelyne Kasande, 40, a cook, and a 14-year-old juvenile, Dassy Natumanya who is also a pupil at the same school.
“On the 15/01/2023 at around 7:50 pm a police officer, Sgt Arinaitwe Sedrack saw huge smoke at Bright Age primary school neighboring Masheruka police station, he alerted all police officers in the Barracks and they responded to the scene and find a boy dormitory on fire,” Mr. Tumusiime said.
According to Julius Luyima, the OC at Masheruka police station who participated in extinguishing the fire together with pupils and locals, Natumanya conspired with Kasande to have the dormitory torched.
“Ms. Kasande the cook gave Natumanya a matchbox to light the fire, and he lit his own mattress and the fire spread to other mattresses and the whole dormitory was down in the process and after the incident, the suspect rushed and joined other pupils in the classroom,” he said.
According to police, primary seven pupils are back at school, and classes are running normally. It is said that the fire affected only the boys’ dormitory and that despite the destruction and loss of properties worth millions of shillings, there was no loss of life.
“At the time of fire all pupils were in class for preps except the suspect Natumanya and after his arrest, he confessed to police to have committed the offence, and it is the second time he has been involved in burning the same school,” Mr. Luyima added.
The suspects have been transferred from Masheruka police station to Sheema central police station.
