PAUL R. ARUHO
On 3rd August 2007 Yusuf Byaruhanga 20, woke up like any other young student to face the usual challenges in his life. As his daily routine, Byaruhanga ran to Kyambura mosque for prayers. Little did he know that that was his last time to talk to God inside that four walled structure.
He came back home and prepared himself to go to school Kirugu secondary school in Bushenyi district. He has been doing his end of term two exams the whole of that week, remaining with fine art. He entered his classroom in a jolly mood. At around 8:30am, a few minutes in the exam, Byaruhanga was very sure he heard a gunshot. Like any other curios student, he ran towards the door to see what was happening.
“We thought it was game rangers running after poachers. In a twinkle of an eye, I saw Byaruhanga falling down blood oozing out of his stomach. It was a nasty site for me to see which will never fade out of my head,” Idd Habasa a classmate said who was a few steps behind him on that fateful day.
That very morning students of Kirugu secondary school in Bushenyi district came face to face with Bushenyi local administration armed policemen who showered them with live bullets leaving one student dead and another one seriously injured.
Yusuf Byaruhanga 20, a senior one student, died shortly after he was admitted at Comboni hospital due to bullets that him on the stomach letting out the intestines.
At 20 years one could wonder why Byaruhanga was in S.1. He is among the many disadvantaged children who were born in Ugandan poor families. His father a pure peasant had struggled to make him remain in school.
He had repeated primary seven at Kyambura primary school for two times not because he was dull but due to lack of school fees.
After doing his PLE in 2004 he lost hope and dropped out of school for a period of another two years. When he heard that the government was to introduce free secondary education, he saw it as his long waited chance he could not let go. He was however frustrated when he we refused to register at Kirugu ss as a UPE student because he could not qualify.
Byaruhanga’s passion for school made his father Idd Karyaija to struggle and make sure his son attend school. Through doing pet jobs in the village, Byaruhanga was able to raise school fees and boy scholarstic materials.
“This boy was very intelligent. I was sure he would make it even to the University on government sponsorship,” Karyaija lamented.
At school the deputy Head teacher, Mr Wilson Byamukama approved this. He said that since he looked older than any other atudent in senior one, he could be noticed. ”He was very intelligent and serious in whatever he was doing. It was unfortunate that we lost him so carelessly like that.”
Sitting in his small compound, looking at his son’s grave, a helpless Karyaija is waiting for any person who can help him to get compensation from government after his son was shot dead by police while at school.
“A few days after the burial, some police men came here and apologized for what happened. They said that they will follow the matter and we may receive compasation. We are waiting. It will be good if they honour their promise,” Mzee Karyaija said.
Karyaija said that he knows the cost of not taking children to school. He said that they become a burden to both parents and the government.
“I have been trying to fulfill the government policy of educating my children. But it really frustrates to send a child to school and the government then comes to shoots him,” a sobbing Karyaija wondered.
According to the deputy head teacher Mr Wilson Byamukama of Kirugu ss, there was not strike at the school as police first said. He said that in the last 11 years he had been there, the school has never registered a strike.
It all started when the local administration policemen came to school to arrest the head master Mr. Laban Rushure. It is said that he had got some domestic problems with his wife Alice Rushure who is the Bushenyi district local government planner. Even the police men came in her car. It would not have caused a stir among students but when they saw their head teacher being hand cuffed, they tried to inquire for an explanation and block his arrest.
“The headmaster was whisked away from his home in handcuffs. This led students as for an explanation to know why their head teacher was being taken,” a teacher only known as Wilber narrated.
The district police commander Onyura Peter said Rushure told police that there was a strike at school and had called his wife send him transport and security to protect him from the students whom he (Rushure) said they had gone on strike.
The leaders in the district have condemned all that transpired in the school. The Bishop of West Ankole diocese Rt Rev Yonah Katoneene and the area MP Gaude Tindamanyire have appealed to government to intervene and carry out thorough investigations into the matter and find out the root cause of the shooting.
The three police men, Abraham Kyabaheire and Cpl Turimu, Patrick Byaruhanga attached to Kyamuhanga police post were arrested. The head teacher has been released on police bond while the three policemen have been sent to Nyamushakyera government prison on remand.
aruhopaul@gmail.com
