BSCS Organisation Commemorates Yvonne Namaganda on Heroes Day

No Hero is Greater Than A Hero – Yesigye Brian Bravo

On the wall of Great Africans, there is a little Ugandan girl Yvonne Namaganda, (1997-April 14, 2008) a schoolgirl, who died in a dormitory fire after running back into the burning building several times to save her colleagues from the inferno at Budo Junior School, Wakiso District 15kms southwest of the capital Kampala.

Yvonne Namaganda was born to Paul and Rebecca Ssewanyana in Kanoni Gomba district. She started school at Aidah and Topher Kindergarten. At Buddo Junior she was also assistant class captain and a coordinator of the prefects.

Yvonne Namaganda died during the Buddo Junior School fire on April 14, 2008, as she tried to rescue her colleagues from an inferno that eventually killed 19 school children.

On a fateful night, a fire broke out at Budo Junior School’s Nassolo dormitory. She forced the dormitory door open but instead of running for her life, she repeatedly went back inside to save more lives, until the flames and falling burning material overcame her.

On June 9, 2017, Namaganda was named a National Hero and the Uganda Parliament celebrated her heroism and recognized her as a national heroine.

In addition, the regional Buganda (Kingdom) Lukiiko (Parliament), honored her with the “Mafumu ne Ngabo” or (Spears & Shield).

Namaganda was just 10 years old.

It’s been exactly 14 years since Ugandans woke up to the sad news that 19 children and an adult had died in an overnight fire in a primary school dormitory outside the capital of Kampala.

At the scene in the morning of the fire were bodies and personal items of the children scattered and lying strewn in the grass while parents rushed in to search for their missing children.

“Can’t forget ur angel acts whenever we were singing holy in bukalagi..all the memories we had..ur one in a million and your deeds will be told to a million..continue to RIP my angel Yvone” said Immy Wudz Kayonga one of the sympathizers

“I have always heard about the Ugandans and how kind-hearted they are, I will one day visit Uganda, a small country with kind people. Rest on little girl, it is well with your soul.” Said Kingsley Ezeude from Nigeria.

A tribute by Paperback on Amazon book stall described the heroic acts to No Greater Love: The Story of Yvonne Namaganda; The 10-Year-Old Dorm Captain Who Died in a Fire Saving Others.

On the night of April 14th, 2008, 20 school girls were burnt to death when their dormitory caught fire. The incident happened at Budo Junior School, in Wakiso district in Uganda.

The bodies of the victims were burnt beyond recognition. The death toll would have been much higher had it not been for the brave act of the 10-year-old Dorm Captain, Yvonne Namaganda who kept going back and forth rescuing other girls and carrying them to safety.

When Yvonne Namaganda’s mom was told that there had been a fire at the Nassolo dormitory, she started crying right away; she knew her baby was among the dead.

“Namaganda would never let any harm occur to any child. When I heard about that fire, I knew she was gone. My daughter would never let anyone get hurt. She would be long dead before that could happen,” said Joanita Nakityo her mum.

In Parliament, the Government of Uganda declared Yvonne Namaganda a national hero for her act.

Namaganda was also awarded the Heroine of the Year Young Achievers Award in 2009 for her bravery and ultimate sacrifice.

“When Namaganda woke up, she started waking up our friends but I called her to get out because the fire was increasing,” said Susan Atieno, a P5 student who survived the tragedy.

“She brought out other students in turns. But the last time she went back, she did not return.” “Run and call Jjajja Damalie,” she instructed them.

Then she began to get the rest to safety. “I have to help the others,” she told those who tried to stop her from going back. To add to the national heartbreak were the widespread reports that the fire was a result of arson. “Preliminary investigations indicate that it was a homicide,” Kale Kayihura, the Uganda Police Inspector General, told reporters at the school.

He said that interviews with teachers and survivors led him to believe the fire was started deliberately. Frederick Bugembe, a teacher at Budo Junior School, said there were 63 girls in the dormitory, but some managed to wriggle through narrow windows. “It is understood that the doors to the dormitory were locked from the outside,” he added.

The police arrested the dormitory matron, Damalie Basirika, and three security guards: who were all charged with criminal negligence.

Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court, however, dismissed all charges against all the accused. Chief Magistrate Vincent Mugabo stated in his ruling that the accused had no case to answer since there was no evidence against them as being responsible for the fire.

The former headmaster Dr. William Kayongo was charged with putting 63 students in a dormitory meant for 31. The prosecution argued that the congestion contributed to the failure to rescue the victims.

But the Magistrate ruled that Kayongo was no longer the head teacher of the school at the time the said incident happened and therefore could not be held liable.

He instead faulted the School Management Committee for its failure to oversee and ensure that minimum basic safety standards were maintained in students’ dormitories.

While the police accused the matron of neglecting to sleep with the girls, the court was convinced that Damalie Basirika had to get accommodation outside the dormitory because of the lack of space within the dormitory, an arrangement that management was aware of and approved.

Although she was expected to stay on campus. Sections of the media were awash with stories that faulted the matron. They reported that she did not sleep on campus on the night of the fire. It was alleged that she was at her boyfriend’s house that night.

Yvonne stepped up and took charge, a decision that cost her life.

Bravo Shoes Community Organisation Support founder Yesigye Brian Bravo said that Yvonne Namaganda’s heroic act represents a generation to come that can save a situation and be reliable.

“Am happy that as a country, we appreciate Namaganda and celebrate her life and the lives she saved on that day.  That’s why as Bravo Shoes Community Organisation Support, we came out to touch on the lives of children with the hope that we can transform more lives. Among these lives, there so many Namangandas and Sam Bright Muhindos, we shall continue doing our best!” he said.