The investigation team that was flagged off last year to look into the source of a fire that gutted the Makerere University main building has faulted the university administration for lack of CCTV cameras that would have aided their investigation.
The team however said that since the electrical wiring in the building was more than 30 years old, it is possible that that could have been the cause of the fire.
The findings of the fire were recorded in the National Building Review Board report of November 2020 and they established that the fire started at around 11:30 pm on September 19th, 2020 in Room 315 which is also the University Bursar’s office.
The report however rules out the possibility of arson by conventional fuel accelerants such as diesel of kerosene. The investigation team was comprised of 11 members from the National Building Review Board, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Directorate of Forensic Services, the Directorate of the Government Analytical Laboratory, and the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The report pins the Makerere University administration for overseeing continuous electrical repairs on the building “by people who lacked qualifications and never followed the building designs.
“Arson by lighting a match or leaving a smoldering item burning could not be established or ruled out because there were no CCTV cameras in the building and the guard on duty was asleep in the locked building. In addition, there were ongoing labor disputes in the university.” the report disclosed.
