Two years later: Did the dead student foresee Salama’s fire?

The school was buzzing with excitement as students prepared for Princess Royal Anne’s visit on Friday 28 October. Groups worked on songs, dances and poems on the school campus.

The children were proud and excited to know that they had prepared a special show for such a distinguished visitor. They were eager to showcase their talents and share their stories with the world.

Wamunyokoli, who stated that he talked about the deaths in detail for the first time, said that Namulondo had a ‘sixth sense’ about death. Namulondo died along with 11 other students in the school fire, which police described as an act of arson.

As the world collapsed with the deaths of 12 innocent souls, Namulondo, who was only nine years old at the time, felt that his days were numbered.

Describing the frightening moments, Wamunyokoli described Namulondo’s instincts regarding the tragic day that claimed his life and that of Cate Nandutu, Leticia Nakayima, Damalie Nalugwa, Peace Naluminsa, Patricia Mudondo, Pretty Pirotho, Veronica Nassali, Gladys Namugga, Agnes Nantume, Kalam Shamirah and others. Josephine Namuwonge.

“Three days after the tragedy, on the 22nd, there was a party of former students. I recorded him playing the piano with my phone and singing the hymn Katonda Onsembeze (Nearer, My God, to You) I later deleted it,” says Wamunyokoli, who describes himself as a great pianist and singer. .

The well-known hymn was allegedly the last song the band played on the ocean liner RMS Titanic before the ship sank.

“It still felt like a warning. The way he sang and the way he acted, maybe he instinctively knew something was wrong. We just couldn’t read the signs,” he recalls.

Two years later, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. The school’s former head teacher, Francis Kinubbi, has retired to private life in Kisoga. Her position was filled by Dorothy Ssebadduka. The other two male teachers left, leaving Wamunyokoli as the only permanent teacher to witness the tragedy.

Located on 37 acres of land surrounded by tea plantations and rural farms in Luga Village, Ntenjeru Sub-County, Mukono District, the school has been under Ssebadduka’s leadership since January 2023.

Prior to his appointment, Ssebadduka was the head teacher of Kivuvu PS in Nama Sub-County, Mukono District. Her passion for working with children with special needs stems from her childhood experiences visiting the physically challenged at Good Samaritan Sisters/Bakateyamba in Nalukolongo.

As a Special Needs teacher, Ssebadduka followed the tragic events at Salama School on television.

“I felt so bad when I saw the news in the morning,” he recalls. “I even cried. I couldn’t understand why someone would harm such innocent and defenseless children,” she says. He did not know that he would soon be transferred to the school.

Ssebadduka initially resisted being transferred to the school after witnessing the mass burial on November 2, 2022.

“In fact, when the Mukono Head Teachers Association mobilized us to visit the school on the day of the ritual when the bodies were brought in, I refused to come. “I didn’t want to see those bodies,” he admits. “The images I saw on television were too much for me.”

However, after being convinced by the District Education Officer (DEO), he agreed to take up this challenging role.

“The DEO counseled me, guided me, and asked me to be a mother to the children,” she recalls.

For seven months, he went to his home in Mukono every day to avoid staying in school.

A teacher’s tragedy story

Wamunyokoli, who has been teaching at the school since 2018, remembers the night of the fire vividly.

“It was a terrible day,” he says. “We were excitedly preparing for Princess Anne’s visit, rehearsing songs and plays. On October 23, the police made a security assessment. On October 24, after the evening preparations were completed, I went to the dormitory and reminded the students about the noise they were making during class. They were performing the night prayers.”

Wamunyokoli remembers the night of the fire, convinced that his intervention could have prevented the tragedy.

“Around midnight, I heard an alarm and ran outside and saw the dormitory in flames,” he recalls. “I braved the fire and saved a few children, but unfortunately Damalie, the last girl I managed to save, died from her injuries.”

Wamunyokoli, along with Kinubbi and two shepherds, were among the first responders.

“Mr Kinubbi arrived at the scene wrapped in a towel to help with the rescue. Being blind, he was trying to touch wherever he could,” he recalls.

Wamunyokoli transported the injured students to Herona Hospital in Kisoga Town with the help of the school’s long-serving boda-boda rider, Paulo Sseruwu. Sseruwu, who was warned by another driver who witnessed the fire, was devastated to learn that Damalie, the first child she was carrying, had died. But she was consoled by the fact that the next child she carried, Annet, survived.

“When we arrived at the scene, there was an ambulance but the driver seemed hesitant to enter the area,” Sseruwu recalls. “We decided to transport the children to the hospital. The delay in transport may have contributed to Damalie’s tragic fate.”

The decline in the number of students at the school has significantly affected Sseruwu’s business; because he now primarily carries the new principal and other sick children.

For Wamunyokoli, the trauma of the fire continues to haunt him.

“Sometimes I don’t want to listen to any conversation about that fire. I remember looking into the eye of hell. There are so many questions that make you want to cry. “I act like I’m strong, but I’m dying inside,” he said.

According to Wamunyokoli, the children had big ambitions. While Namulondo dreamed of a career in music, Gladys Namugga aspired to become a news anchor. Namawejje dreamed of a future as a teacher or lawyer fighting for justice.

“The team had just returned from the goalball championship in Masaka and among the participants were Namugga and Patricia Mudondo,” Wamunyokoli recalls. “When they passed away, I deleted all the videos and photos I took during our celebrations. I was guiding them on many issues.”

12-year-old Damalie Naluggwa was the last person to die in the fire two weeks later. Two students, Annet Namawejje and Blessing Namuyomba, both studying in Primary Two, were the only survivors to return to school.

While most parents, including PTA president Ernest Mwebesa, chose not to send their children back to school, Namawejje’s mother, Cissy Nalweyiso, who spent three months with her child in Kakubansiri Village, Kabulassoke Sub-County, Mpigi District, says she had no other option before she recovered. .

“I couldn’t keep her at home. I just call on the authorities to increase security. I want my daughter to be successful in life,” he says.

Survivors were also injured due to the fire. Namawejje, who suffers from hydrocephalus, had a thin tube surgically inserted to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid, but the fire burned the tube, causing him another disability. Because Nalweyiso, who is blind, now has hearing loss.

The fire left a lasting impact on the school community and the memorial on the school campus serves as a constant reminder.

The school received consultancy support from a former Dutch sponsor, Christa, known locally as Namuddu. Unfortunately, Christa passed away in August of this year.

To help students heal, the school focused on music therapy. Students are taught songs and participate in music and sports activities. The school came second behind Team Tanzania, winning the silver medal at the recently concluded East African Games in Bukedea.

This year, the school participated in the National Music and Sports competitions held in Mbale as a guest choir with eight works for a total of 642 performances.

To cope with the trauma, Wamunyokoli founded a local football team in Luga.

Despite his efforts, Wamunyokoli admits that the trauma of the fire still affects him.

“I think I’m over the worst, but there are moments when people remind me of the tragedy,” he says.

The school is commemorating ‘Black Day’ this Friday. A lot has changed in terms of infrastructure. Last year, First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni commissioned new school dormitories built by MTN Foundation.

The school is now equipped with safety equipment such as fire detectors and fire extinguishers.

“We want to use that day to ask for support from Ugandans. But also convey the message that people should stop burning down schools,” says Ssebadduka.

When I visited the Salama School for the Blind, I saw that the school had been without electricity for two weeks and the security cameras were not working. Ssebadduka explains that the school’s limited resources prevent them from constantly paying for electricity.

“The cameras are connected to electricity, but they have not been working for two weeks because the YAKA units have run out,” he says. “We need a solar installation urgently.”

The lack of security measures created a constant fear of another attack. The school is not surrounded by fencing and, despite assurances from the authorities, a promised police station has not yet been established. Ssebadduka’s efforts to improve the school’s security, including meetings with senior police officials, failed.

The school’s financial situation is precarious and the rate of arrears in boarding fees is high. Nearly 90 percent of students cannot pay the full fee of Shs370,000 per semester. Many of these children come from poor families or have been abandoned, making it difficult for the school to provide adequate support.

The school, which was established in April 1999 to cater for visually impaired children and young adults, is in dire need of basic educational supplies such as Braille paper (Shs300,000 per ball) and slate (Shs77,000) as well as food supplies.

As the world increasingly embraces technology, the need for visually impaired students to access orbital readers also increases. These devices can enhance learning experiences and provide greater independence.

The school faces additional challenges in providing adequate medical care to its students. The absence of an infirmary and a dedicated nurse makes it difficult to treat common diseases such as flu, fever, cough, malaria and sometimes typhoid. To alleviate this problem, first aid training was given to one of the teachers, Madam Anna Kedi Teopista.

Fire safety is another priority for the school. Refilling 8kg fire extinguishers is a financial burden at a cost of Shs50,000 per extinguisher. Additionally, smoke detectors often cause unnecessary panic among students and can lead to dangerous situations such as jumping out of windows.