The mourners mainly his parents Oliver Namatovu and Kasozi Mark plus other in-laws, friends and teachers could not hold their tears as Sserugga’s coffin was lowered down the grave. Some of including Namatovu passed out and they were put on drip.
Nine-year-old Savio Mark Kasozi Sserugga,
a Primary Four pupil who perished in a dormitory fire at St. John’s Day and
Boarding Primary School in Kyotera on Saturday, was on Sunday laid to rest at his
ancestral home in Kigalambi-Lukondo village, Byakabanda sub-county, Rakai
district.
The
mourners mainly his parents Oliver Namatovu and Kasozi Mark plus other in-laws,
friends and teachers could not hold their tears as Sserugga’s coffin was
lowered down the grave. Some including Namatovu, who could not help it, passed out and they
were put on a drip to restore and maintain their condition.
According
to the parents, Sserugga, their eldest of three sons, did not live to realise
his dream of becoming a priest.
The
horrible incident happened on Saturday leaving several learners injured and
property burnt to ashes.
None
of the school authorities and rescuers noticed that one of the learners had
remained in the burning dormitory until the fire was put out. It aws
during the inspection of the devastated dormitory that the teachers and
officers saw charred remains which later turned out to be of Sserugga.
His
body was taken to Masaka regional referral hospital for a postmortem and later
handed over to the family members for burial. During
a requiem service led by Fr. Edward Kawunde of Kasozi Parish, prayed for the
deceased and the bereaved family members.
//Cue
in: “Naye tusabire……………'//
Cue
out:…………oli gwokikoze.”//
Fr.
Joseph Kamoga, the parish priest of Luvule Parish in Masaka, appealed to the
school directors and headteachers to improve the security of the schools to
avoid similar incidents from occurring.
FrvKamoga
further said that with the poor fire brigade response in Uganda, many children
and school buildings are at risk. He
adds that they are few fire trucks in the region and too old to reach the venue
in time. He noted that in most cases property or life get lost due to delayed
response.
//Cue
in: “Tubasaba ba headmaster……………;//
Cue
out:………………omuto kiki kyategeera.”//
He
attributed the incident to unresolved wrangles which involved innocent
children.
He
appealed to the police to investigate and produce all reports about the fires
that occurred in St. Bernard’s SS-Mannya, Buddo Junior, and the recent ones in
Kawempe and St. John’s Day and Boarding Primary schools.
//Cue in: “Kibi nyo abantu abo……………'//
Cue
out:…………mukama abankumire.”//
John
Lubowa, the Director –St. Johns primary school, says it was absurd to start the
new term in shock. He
explains that they tried so hard to put out the fire unaware one of the
learners had died inside the dormitory.
//Cue
in: “Mubulamu waliwo………………..''//
Cue
out:…………kikangabwa kyamanyi.”//
He
further recounts the incident explaining that it caught them by surprise to
learn that one of their students had died. Lubowa
says that without government intervention to investigate the cause of the
school fires more lives may be lost.
//Cue
in: “Natuuse nendowooza……………'//
Cue
out:……………………..etuwe report,.”//
He
later pledged to sponsor one of Sserugga’s siblings to study up to primary
seven in commemoration of his death.George
Bush Bbaale, the Byakanda LCIII, noted that without government intervention
in the ongoing arson incidents parents may get scared of taking their children
to boarding schools. He
adds that such incidents are usually sparked by envy or unresolved disputes among the
school proprietors.
Davis Buyondo
Freelancer