On the night of November 11, 2018, tragedy struck St Bernard Secondary School, Manya, in Rakai District, when a fire gutted a Senior Three boys’ dormitory, killing 10 students and severely injuring 36 others.
Several students’ belongings were also destroyed in the fire, which investigators treated as an arson attack.
What followed was a nearly eight-year legal journey for the people accused of causing the fire. On October 5, 2026, the High Court in Masaka acquitted the remaining accused persons after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove their involvement in the fire beyond reasonable doubt.
Here is a timeline of the case.
November 11, 2018: Fire kills 10 students
The fire broke out in the Senior Three boys’ dormitory at St Bernard Secondary School, Manya, during the night.
Ten students died while 36 others sustained serious injuries.
Security agencies launched investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the fire and identify those responsible.
November 2018: Investigators focus on suspended students
Investigators turned their attention to a group of Senior Four students who had reportedly been suspended from the school hostel the previous month for disciplinary violations.
Some of the students were reportedly staying in rented accommodation near the school while sitting their final examinations.
Investigators identified Taremwa Henry, Mugarula Alex Junior and Kisuule Dickson as suspects. They also linked Niyo Edison, a businessman said to have been associated with some of the students, to the alleged plan.
A search at Niyo’s home reportedly led to the recovery of shoes, clothes and a plastic bottle which investigators suspected had contained paraffin used to start the fire.
November 27, 2018: Suspects charged
The suspects were arraigned before court and charged with 48 counts.
The charges included 10 counts of murder, 36 counts of attempted murder, one count of arson and one count of attempted arson.
The prosecution alleged that the accused, together with others still at large, were responsible for the deaths of Remigius Tamale and nine other students at the school.
2018–2024: Case remains pending
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the trial did not immediately commence.
The accused remained in custody as the case went through a prolonged pre-trial process.
2024: Trial finally begins
A special criminal session was organised at the High Court in Masaka to commence hearing of the case.
The prosecution was led by Noah Kunya and Deborah Itwau, the Resident Chief State Attorney in Masaka.
The accused were represented by a defence team led by lawyer Sam Ssekyewa, alongside Dorah Kimani and Patricia Abaho.
Ssekyewa took a leading role in cross-examining prosecution witnesses and challenging the evidence presented against his clients.
The case was heard before Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba.
October 7, 2024: Taremwa freed after court finds he was a juvenile
During the trial, Ssekyewa challenged the prosecution of Taremwa Henry, arguing that he had been a juvenile when he was arrested and that his rights as a child had been violated.
The defence presented baptism and immunisation records, a birth certificate and Uganda Certificate of Education examination records to establish his age.
The prosecution challenged the authenticity of some of the documents.
In a ruling delivered on October 7, 2024, Justice Nakintu agreed with the defence that Taremwa was 17 years old at the time of his arrest.
The judge consequently dismissed the charges against him and ordered his immediate release.
Evidence against Kisuule comes under scrutiny
As the trial progressed, prosecution witnesses testified about the circumstances surrounding the fire and the investigations.
Fifteen witnesses, including school staff and experts from the Government Analytical Laboratory, were presented.
Evidence emerged that Kisuule Dickson had been arrested from the school premises on November 10, 2018, a day before the fire.
He was reportedly handed over to the officer in charge of Manya Police Station and remained in police custody when the dormitory caught fire on November 11.
The defence argued that this evidence effectively placed Kisuule away from the scene at the time of the fire.
July 3, 2026: Kisuule seeks acquittal
Kisuule, through his lawyer Ssekyewa, filed an application asking the High Court to acquit him.
The defence argued that the testimony of the 15 prosecution witnesses had established that Kisuule was in police custody when the fire occurred.
The prosecution opposed the application, describing it as premature.
However, Justice Nakintu found that the prosecution had not presented evidence linking Kisuule to the offence.
The judge dismissed all 48 counts against him and ordered his release.
The decision left Niyo Edison as the remaining accused person in the case.
August 2026: Investigations come under intense scrutiny
As the trial continued, investigating officer Goffin Butele gave evidence detailing the police investigations.
He was subjected to intense cross-examination by the defence.
During questioning, Butele was unable to satisfactorily explain the relevance of clothes belonging to Mugarula Alex that had allegedly been recovered from Niyo’s home.
He also could not establish that the plastic bottle recovered from Niyo’s home had been subjected to forensic examination by the Government Analytical Laboratory or that a corresponding laboratory report had been produced.
The investigating officer also acknowledged that the case against the suspects had, in part, been driven by suspicion arising from their earlier suspension from the school.
Defence presents its case
After the prosecution closed its case, the defence called two witnesses.
The witnesses gave accounts of what they knew about the night of the fire and maintained that the accused were not at the school when the fire occurred.
The defence asked court to acquit the accused, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a connection between them and the arson.
September 2026: Assessors recommend acquittal
In their joint opinion, the assessors told court that the prosecution had failed to produce substantive evidence linking the accused to the offences.
They consequently recommended that the accused be acquitted.
October 5, 2026: High Court acquits Niyo and Mugarula
After years of proceedings, Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba delivered the long-awaited judgment on October 5, 2026.
The judge found that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were responsible for the school fire.
The court faulted investigators for failing to conduct proper investigations, produce key exhibits and pursue important investigative leads.
Justice Nakintu also found that significant aspects of the prosecution case were based on speculation, hearsay and suspicion rather than substantive evidence.
The judge agreed with the assessors that the prosecution had failed to establish the accused persons’ involvement in the fire.
Niyo Edison and Mugarula Alex Junior were consequently acquitted of the remaining charges and ordered to be released immediately, unless they were being held on other charges.
Seven years, 11 months and 22 days on remand
Following the acquittal, defence lawyer Sam Ssekyewa said the accused had spent seven years, 11 months and 22 days on remand.
He welcomed the court’s decision but expressed concern over the length of time the case had taken and what he described as failures by police to properly investigate the incident.
Ssekyewa also questioned why the actual perpetrators of the fire had not been identified and brought to justice.
The acquittal has therefore brought an end to the prosecution of the suspects, but it has left a painful question unanswered:
Who started the fire that killed 10 students at St Bernard Secondary School, Manya, in 2018?
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