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Ugandan opposition asks first lady to resign over deadly school fire

This was the second deadliest fire in 10 years after the Buddo Junior school fire that killed 20 pupils.

Uganda’s first lady Janet Museveni has been asked by the leader of the opposition, Betty Ochan, to resign as education minister over accusations she failed to enforce directives and guidelines.

The call was made on Tuesday during a parliamentary session and followed a heated debate regarding a fire on Monday that gutted St Bernard’s Secondary School in Mannya, Rakai District, killing 11 students and leaving 40 hospitalised with injuries, the Daily Monitor reported on Wednesday.

This was the second deadliest fire in 10 years after the Buddo Junior school fire that killed 20 pupils. The school was temporarily closed in 2008 following the death of 20 children after a fire gutted their dormitory.

Ochan asserted that in addition to Museveni’s failure to enforce safety standards there had never been any police investigations and subsequent reports into these fires.

“How many fires have we had, start to count from 2008,” said Ochan before adding that the first lady had no place in parliament and should resign.

first lady Janet Museveni

The leader of the opposition also said it was tragic that parents were being forced to pick up their children from school in boxes.

But Ochan’s speech was immediately interrupted and stopped by house speaker Rebecca Kadaga who said the matter was still under investigation.

Following the Buddo inferno, the then inspector general, Kale Kayihura, issued a set of guidelines for all schools including ways to respond to fire emergencies.

They included the provision of fire extinguishers at all schools while teachers, pupils, and all other school staff were to undertake fire-fighting courses.

However, there are still many schools in Uganda that are operating without even a single fire extinguisher.

Opposition legislators argue that situation is a direct result of Museveni’s incompetency.

Meanwhile, the minister of state for higher education, John Chrysostom Muyingo, has informed parliamentarians that a joint investigation with security forces has been launched to investigate the Rakai fire.

Eight suspects have been arrested so far.

Source: News24