Police’s forensic directorate that is conducting DNA analysis to establish parenthood of 11 pupils burnt beyond recognition at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono, has revealed that the examination will be concluded early next week.
Senior Superintendent of Police –SSP, Patrick Onyango, the Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, has said parents can only receive the ‘bodies’ after DNA analysis has been concluded.
Quoting the forensic experts’ explanation, Onyango said police will hand over the bodies probably mid-next week after all the expert examinations have been concluded. Police have asked all the parents of the victims including those that reportedly spent the night at the school waiting for their children’s bodies, to appear at the Naguru Directorate for Forensic Science –DFS so that their blood samples can be drawn for DNA analysis.
Police have urged the parents to be calm since expert analysis of such a nature takes some time. Police have promised to do whatever is within their means to ensure the DNA samples are done before next week ends.
“We have started getting samples from the parents and the dead bodies so that they are profiled to know which body belongs to which parent. If all the parents come before the end of this week, by mid-next week we shall have completed profiling DNA, so we appeal to the parents to be calm as we are profiling this DNA,” Onyango said.
Experts team at DFS, are currently examining the exhibits that include ash collected from the dormitory in which the pupils were burnt. Other things scientists are examining are the two used matchbox sticks that were collected a few metres from the inferno scene.
Onyango has explained that DFS has promised that they will use machines that can detect whether there were foreign gases or fuel that were brought in to start the fire. “We are waiting for them to conduct their analyses, we are still at the school to provide security to the learners who are still at the school,” Onyango added.
Meanwhile, three of the six children who survived the inferno with burns have been discharged from the hospitals. Doctors at Kiruddu hospital informed police that even the remaining three pupils were out of danger.
