Authorities have arrested at least 14 students from St. Barnabas Secondary School in Karujanga, Katuna town council, Kabale District, for their alleged involvement in an attempt to set fire to the school premises. The detained students are currently held at Kabale Central Police Station pending further investigation.”
The school, situated just a stone’s throw away from the Uganda-Rwanda border, saw the collaborative effort of both military and police forces to arrest the 14 students. This came about following a tip-off from insiders within the school community, who alerted authorities that a faction of unruly students was dangerously close to igniting a blaze within the premises.
According to a staff member who wished to remain anonymous, the detained students were senior four class students on the verge of completing their exams. The staff member revealed that the students resorted to extreme measures after accusing a teacher of withholding their expensive phones, even though the students didn’t actually possess any such phones.
“The students demanded smartphones from a teacher, alleging that he had confiscated devices worth amounts ranging from shs 350,000 to shs 500,000. However, when the administration investigated, it was discovered that no phones were in the teacher’s possession. With less than a week left before their exams concluded, the students tried to set the school ablaze when the administration intervened,” the staff member disclosed.
The school administration swiftly mobilized, seeking assistance from both the military and police to ensure the security of the premises.
Efforts to reach Mr. Alex Turinawe, the school’s headteacher, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting as his known phone numbers were not available.