DNA testing starts on Rakai fire dead - The Observer Media Ltd

Police's Asan Kasingye inspecting the damage of the fire at the school

The government also committed to “work with Rakai district local government after the investigations to reconstruct the damaged structures.”

All suspended students had been dismissed for indiscipline and asked to write their O-level national examinations from outside. They are suspected to have doused the dormitory in petrol before setting it ablaze, leaving nine students dead and 37 seriously injured.

“They will all be interviewed. We call for their parents’ support as some of them were not accessed by close of day [Tuesday],” Kayima said.

“The police on the ground are continuing to pick all relevant pieces of evidence, recording statements from suspects and other relevant entities and individuals so as to establish the actual cause of the fire and cure it through prosecution of the offenders.”

So far, six suspects have been interviewed including some students, teachers and other members of staff at the school.

“We shall cast our investigation nets far and wide to ensure that justice is done and culprits are punished in accordance with the law,” he said.

Since Sunday, November 11 when the fire gutted the Rakai school, police forensic and homicide experts have pitched camp at St Bernard’s, investigating what it calls a “heinous crime”.

On Monday afternoon, Janet Museveni, visited and met with the school administration before addressing residents and students. Authorities at St. Bernard’s, in consultation with the education ministry, also decided to send home students in senior one, two, three, and five as senior four and six candidates continue with their examinations.

DECEASED STUDENTS

By Tuesday evening, police had transferred remains of all the nine dead senior three students to Mulago national referral hospital for postmortem.

“Blood samples from each of the parents were taken and submitted to the government analytical laboratory. After this, bodies will be handed over to the right parents for burial,” police said.

Police director for health services, AIGP Dr Moses Byaruhanga, last evening confirmed that DNA tests started in Wandegeya yesterday.

“We don’t have control over that laboratory. So, it will depend on when the results will be out for families to get their bodies. Right now, we cannot know which body belongs to whom because the students were burnt beyond physical recognition,” Byaruhanga said.

He recalled that in the 2012 Namungoona inferno, it took at least one week to identify the bodies, attributing the delay to technical challenges. But he remained optimistic that this process will be quick.

“Of recent, we have been working with the laboratory and they have been doing their work very fast. So, parents have to be patient with us to do scientific work because it’s not good to take bodies that do not belong to them,” Byaruhanga said.

The dormitory in which the nine students died housed slightly over 60 students. The quick response from residents, students and school authorities saved the fire from spreading to two adjacent rooms which also housed 60 students each. Injured students are being treated in Kitovu, Masaka and Kalisizo hospitals.

Separately, Kayima reminded schools about security and safety guidelines issued at the height of school fires years ago.

“For purposes of adherence, parents, the mother ministry and the security sector ought to reawaken the call for safer schools, safer communities now,” Kayima said.

He cited 10 guidelines, including activating safety committees for staff and learners, controlled access to premises, properly vetted and trained private security guards.

List of injured and deceased students

Ten deceased S3 students