Seven students arrested over violent strike at Sheema school

Sheema, (UG): The Territorial Police in Greater Bushenyi are holding seven students of Nganwa High School Kabwohe in Sheema District on charges related to incitement to violence following a strike which occurred at around 10 pm on Monday night.

The strike according to preliminary findings arose after S.4 students attacked students from other classes in protest of the school tradition which dictates that candidates have to be beaten by students from the rest of the classes as a way of bidding them farewell.

“It’s alleged that on Independence Day at around 10 pm, a fight broke out among students in a clash which is referred to as “farewell party”. The annual clash is a “school culture where every  S.4  student must be beaten”,  by other students at the end of the academic year,” the Bushenyi Regional Police Spokesperson Mr Marcial Tumusiime said in a Wednesday police statement.

Following the outbreak of a violent strike, police from Sheema responded and restored sanity at the school leading to the arrest of seven students deemed to be the masterminds of the mess.

The 7 ring leaders were identified and arrested. These include; Nuwasharamu Propser, 18 (S.4), Andinda Roden, 18 (S.4), Nganzi Owen, 18, (S.4), Kato Timothy, 18 (S.4) Akandwanaho Allan, 19 (S.4), Nuwasiima Saul, 17 and Matama Samuel.

Mr Marcial says two students were injured in the fight and rushed to Sheema Hospital to receive medical treatment. These include; Aruho Benon, a 19-year-old, S.4 student and another identified as Mustafa an S.5 student.

He condemned the violent actions of the students and urged school administrations to find ways of managing the violent behaviour of students in order to keep sanity at the school.

“We strongly condemn these acts of violence by students and we call upon all school administrators to remind students of the importance of resisting peer pressure to act responsibly.”