BY EDITOR
Three more bodies of students killed in an attack on a secondary in Kasese handed over to their families.
Three more bodies of students from Mpondwe – Lhubiriha Secondary School who were killed by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels have been handed over to their families.
On June 16, 2023, the ADF rebels attacked the secondary school leaving 43 people dead including 37 students.
The three bodies were handed over to their relatives on Wednesday afternoon at Bwera Government General Hospital after they were identified by the police forensic team.
During the handover, government that was represented by the State Minister for Sports in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang also handed over shillings five million to each of the 16 families that had not received condolences.
While reading a written speech from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni who also doubles as the first lady, Minister Ogwang noted that out of the seven bodies that had not yet been identified, there were able to identify three using the DNA system and the remaining four are still in the process.
He explained that the shillings five million given to each of the families from government are meant to cater for the burial expenses.
The Minister also revealed that the investigations into the operations of the Mpondwe – Lhubiriha Secondary School were still going on.
In his remarks, the State Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Hon. Godfrey Baluku Kabbyanga who comforted the grieved families, however, warned those who were still claiming for the bodies of their children to avoid any fights over issues related to the DNA.
According to him, government has the capacity to take the samples to the outside countries should Uganda fail to identify the exact parents of the deceased persons.
Despite being given shillings five million to each of the affected families, some relatives of the three bodies that were handed over today for burial were heard complaining of having spent a lot of money from the day the attack took place.
Mr. Jimmy Leebu, a relative to Amina Biira whose body was discovered by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) while pursuing the attackers appealed to government to intensify the process of fighting the ADF rebels who he said have created a lot of fear in the community.
Mr. Asanasio Bwambale Ndyoka from Kalingwe village in Kisinga Sub County who is the father to Serezia Masereka observed need for government to reinstate the services of vigilantes and empower them with guns to help in the fight against the ADF rebels.
However, our reporter heard some relatives of the people who lost a son during the attack telling the Ministers that some families have started fighting for the shillings five million received from government to cater for the burial arrangements.