Students Burn Dormitory Over Confiscated Phones

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Our reporter

Police in Mbarara are investigating circumstances under which a group of students at Kashaka High School in Bubaare sub-county on Wednesday burnt the boys' dormitory after the school administrators confiscated their phones.

Taban Chiriga, the officer in charge of criminal investigations department said that the suspected students will be arraigned in court, and once found guilty, they will have to pay for the damages caused.

Last week, the school administration organised a raid to the boy's dormitory and confiscated mobile phones whose number is still unknown. Kashaka High is a mixed school.

According to one student who opted to remain anonymous, the administrators had promised to handover the phones to parents, something that was objected by students and consequently they torched the dormitory.

Bernard Arinaitwe, the school director confirmed the incident but declined to give a comment, saying he was "too busy" to talk about it.

By press time, a one Ivan Muhwezi, a student at the same school, had already been reported to police by fellow students after he was sighted with a 5-litre jerrycan containing petrol, moments before the fire gutted the three-roomed dormitory and destroying property worth of millions.

Students whose property was burnt down have been asked to go home and report back after a week. It's unclear whether the school management will pay for their damaged property.

But in Mbarara District, this incident has not been the first. On of August 14, a similar incident happened at Welden High School in Katete ward Nyamitanga division, Mbarara municipality. The damages that were caused there prompted the school to send home over 500 students as they could not be accommodated.