School management in trouble over missing P7 candidate

Police in Greater Masaka are investigating the disappearance of a pupil from the school premises. Daily Monitor has learned that Asadu Kakooza, 15, was in Primary Seven when he vanished from Royal Kindergarten Day and Boarding Primary School in Kinoni Town Council, Lwengo District, on April 26, 2024.

According to Ms Mariam Nakku, Kakooza’s mother, she received information about her son’s disappearance on April 30, but the school management has not done enough to establish his whereabouts.

“I have reported the case to Kinoni and Mbiriizi police stations and I’m still waiting to see what comes out of their investigations,” she said. She also appealed to anyone who knows her son’s whereabouts to inform the family or report to the police.

Mr Ibrahim Kayondo, the director of Royal Kindergarten Day and Boarding Primary School, said that when Kakooza disappeared, the management assumed he had returned home. 

“As school management, we resolved not to allow Primary Seven learners to return home during the first term holiday, but Kakooza escaped from school without our knowledge,” Mr Kayondo stated.

According to Mr Kayondo, one of the pupils who saw Kakooza walking out of the school reported that he was wearing a red casual T-shirt and blue sportswear with his name engraved on it. “It is unfortunate that he did not inform even his close friends where he was going,” he added.

Mr Kizito Mbaaga, the chairperson of Kinoni Town Council, suspects that Kakooza may have been kidnapped by individuals intending to psychologically torment his parents. “We pray that he [Kakooza] is still alive, as his parents have not slept since they received news of his disappearance,” he said.

Southern Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Twaha Kasirye, stated that detectives are still in the process of recording statements from members of the school administration. 

“After receiving information from the mother about his disappearance on April 30, we invited members of the school management committee to record statements. However, when they arrived at the police station, they asked for time to first announce his disappearance on community radios, which we accepted. They have yet to inform us of any discoveries,” he said. “Once we record statements from them, they will also be charged accordingly.”