Head teachers in Fort Portal City and Kabarole District have appealed to the government to deploy armed security officers at every school, citing rising insecurity in the Rwenzori sub-region following weekend deadly attacks by panga-wielding assailants.
The coordinated assaults across Kasese, Bundibugyo and Fort Portal districts left at least 30 attackers dead and about 60 suspects arrested.
One Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer and a female soldier were also killed when the attackers raided army detachments in Malindi and Kakuka, Bundibugyo District, setting several soldiers’ houses ablaze before fleeing.
The same attackers targeted Nyakasura School and Canon Apollo institutions in Fort Portal City, as well as police facilities in Kasese, where officers were injured and property destroyed.
During a joint security meeting on Monday, education leaders said the wave of violence has exposed schools to possible attacks, warning that limited budgets make it difficult to hire private guards.
‘If our government can send soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight the ADF rebels, why can’t they also deploy soldiers to protect our children here? Our schools are at risk,’ saidElizabeth Bagaya, head teacher of Kitumba Secondary School.
Yoweri Asiimwe, a teacher at Holy Guard Kasenda Secondary School, said schools near forests were particularly vulnerable.
‘Some schools are surrounded by thick forests and swamps, which could provide hiding places for attackers. We cannot afford armed guards-it’s costly. Let the government take responsibility and deploy UPDF soldiers to protect us,’ he said.
Mr. Hebert Mukasa, Principal of Canon Apollo Core PTC, said anxiety remains high even after the situation stabilized. ‘We request a permanent army detachment near our school. We are surrounded by a swamp where we suspect some attackers could be hiding,’ he noted.
However, Pius Bihembo, the Fort Portal North Division Police Commander, said manpower shortages make it impossible to deploy soldiers to every school. ‘We don’t have enough personnel to station at every school. We are conducting joint patrols day and night and assessing all public spaces for potential threats,’ he said.
Deputy RCC Emmanuel Businge said Uganda’s deployment in DR Congo aims to block rebel infiltration, while the government works to reinforce domestic security.
Local Government Minister Victoria Businge Rusoke urged schools to prioritize hiring security guards using their existing budgets. ‘Every time you increase fees, include the cost of hiring armed guards. It’s true some schools need army detachments, but this is a long-term strategy,’ she said.