By Andrew Irumba
Wakiso: Students who were recently arrested over allegations that they torched a dormitory at Namirembe Hillside School in Gayaza, Wakiso district, have confessed, claiming that they did it because of mistreatment from teachers.
A Criminal Investigations Police officer at Kasangati Police Station, who is privy to the investigations, said some of the students suspected to have started fires, point to corporal punishment and poor feeding as some of the reasons that pushed them to act the way they did.
The recent fire outbreaks at Namirembe Hillside high school in Wakiso district are being blamed on mistreatment by teachers. There were three fire outbreaks at the school last week.
Seven students were picked up on Sunday for allegedly attempting to set the school library and four dormitories ablaze on Saturday night. This came just a few hours after the students torched the boy’s dormitory on Friday morning.
“They said that they have been over beaten by the teachers on top of being given little food,” the officer said. Luke Owoyesigire, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, could neither confirm nor deny the claims.
He however, said that he was aware that some students have confessed being in the know about the source of the fire. Owoyesigire said preliminary police investigations point at arson, although the police want to establish the root cause of the same. Owoyesigire said following the Saturday night incident, police investigators have since recovered a number of items including bed sheets, which are suspected to have been soaked in kerosene and iron boxes.
Some of the students our Spies spoke to confirmed being subjected to corporal punishment, but refuted claims of poor feeding. “Of course they beat us. That isn’t a lie but we are well fed, the school even prepares special meals for us for example on some Sundays two cows are slaughtered and we eat to our fullest,” one of the students said.
Elias Mugisha, the Head teacher Namirembe Hillside high school dismissed the allegations of poor feeding and corporal punishment made the students. He said the students are trying to come up with an excuse to cover up from their bad conduct.
