The Leader of the Opposition, Betty Aol Ocan has called for the resignation of Education Minister Janet Museveni, and criticized government for failure to release reports into previous fires, making mention of the infamous 2008 Buddo fires.
Her statement followed Sunday night inferno that gutted S3 boy’s dormitory at St Bernard’s Secondary School in Manya, Rakai claiming lives of nine students.
“Colleagues, this is not the first time that this is happening. We all know we have not been able to receive investigation reports before,” she said.
“Ministry of Education, especially the Minister, is tempting us by saying we got the report of the investigations. She has to resign or be pushed to resign, the investigations report must come from 2008,” she said.
According to State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo, government will meet burial expenses and foot the hospital bills of all victims of fire that gutted S3 boy’s dormitory.
“Government will do everything possible within its means to bring the perpetrators to justice, and we will also rebuild the school structures,” he said
He warned the perpetrators of their inevitable arrest, and pledged government support to the bereaved families and the injured.
Muyingo said a combination of security organs have commenced investigations, promising justice to the victims.
Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has called for speedy investigations into the fire “We condole with the families of the children who perished in Manya, I hope the government will hasten efforts to find the perpetrators,” she said.
Kadaga said Parliament could not debate the matter because it would hinder the ongoing investigations. The school administration, according to the media reports, alleges that the students were expelled on various counts of indiscipline, and that they had vowed to ‘punish’ the school in return.