New Year's: Rukungiri bars children from night prayers, fireworks

RUKUNGIRI - Rukungiri district has banned all children below 12 years old from attending night prayers during end-of-year celebrations.

The Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner, Stephen Nsubuga Bewayo, told the press that no parent is allowed to attend night prayers or attend fireworks displays in the company of children.

"We are doing this out of experience because, in previous end-of-year celebrations, we used to record cases of missing children, which we don't want to repeat," Bewayo said.

He added that some young children, aged 7–8 years, walk alone to see fireworks or attend overnight services. This time, the police will intercept them and take them to the police station until their parents come for them.

Bewayo urged parents with young children to stay at home with them and watch fireworks from their homes.

"Criminals, especially thieves, take advantage of such days. When you leave your home empty, it’s possible to find the door broken upon coming back, and the beginning of the year will be a disaster for that family," he said.

The Rukungiri District Police Commander, Apollo Kyahurwa, said they have deployed heavily at places where fireworks will be lit and at churches that have sought permission to hold overnight prayers.

He warned that anyone lighting fireworks at an ungazetted place and churches that don’t have permission to hold overnight prayers will not be allowed to open.

Mary Kyarisima, a businesswoman in Rukungiri town, welcomed the idea of not allowing children and breastfeeding mothers to attend overnight prayers.

"Let the women with babies pray from their homes because if anything happens at midnight in the prayer ground, it may be hard for a woman to run with the baby, and even children may not find their way back home. I think security has made a good decision," she said.