By Jamillah Kemigisa
Panic and despair gripped Kyeibare Girls Secondary School in Rukungiri District early Friday morning after a raging fire broke out and engulfed one of the school’s girls’ dormitories, leaving property worth millions of shillings in ashes.
The inferno, which erupted around 5:00 a.m., caught students off guard as they prepared for the early morning preps. Although no injuries or fatalities were reported, dozens of students have been left without mattresses, clothes, books, and other personal belongings.
Kyeibare Girls SS Headteacher, Ms. Olive Nuwasasira, confirmed the incident and expressed deep concern over the extent of the damage. “It’s a devastating loss. Our girls have lost everything. We are grateful no one was hurt, but this is a huge setback,” she said.
She further revealed that residents from the nearby community rushed to the school in a bid to help, but their efforts to contain the fire were hampered by the late arrival of the fire brigade, which only arrived after the dormitory had been completely reduced to rubble.
Authorities are yet to establish the cause of the fire, but preliminary investigations are underway.
The school administration has appealed to government authorities, NGOs, and well-wishers for emergency support to help the affected students recover from the traumatic incident and resume learning.
This is not the first time a school fire has wreaked havoc in Uganda’s education sector, raising renewed concerns about school safety measures, the readiness of emergency services, and the need for stringent fire prevention strategies in boarding schools.
