By Kenneth Tanaba
As learners return to school for the first term of 2026, the African Centres for Lightning Education Network (ACLENet) is warning that the back-to-school period is coinciding with the start of the first rainy season, a time that comes with frequent thunderstorms and a higher risk of lightning strikes.
ACLENet, Africa’s only organisation dedicated to lightning safety and protection, says schoolchildren remain among the most at-risk groups. Many spend time outdoors, walk long distances to and from school, and gather in large numbers in classrooms and assembly grounds that often lack proper lightning protection systems.
So far, the organisation has installed free standard lightning protection systems in nine schools across Uganda. These include Runyanya Primary School in Kiryandongo District, Nkurungiro Primary School in Kisoro District, Buramba Primary School in Bushenyi District, Shone Primary School in Kyankwanzi District, Palabek Secondary School in Lamwo District, Rock View Primary School in Tororo District, Mongoyo Primary School in Yumbe District, and Mulabana and Bumangi primary schools in Kalangala District.
ACLENet says putting in place a full standard lightning protection system in just one school costs between 25,000 and 40,000 US dollars, roughly 90 to 140 million shillings. This cost, the organisation notes, remains a major challenge for many schools that do not have external support.
Uganda has witnessed several tragic lightning incidents over the years. In June 2011, lightning struck Runyanya Primary School in Kiryandongo District, killing 18 children and injuring 38 others. More recently, in November 2024, 14 children were killed and over 32 injured at Palabek Refugee Settlement in Lamwo District. Other incidents in Nebbi District left dozens of pupils injured, while in Arua, children playing football were also killed by lightning strikes.
To keep the issue in the public eye, Uganda will mark International Lightning Safety Day on June 28, 2026. The national event will be held at Nkurungiro Primary School in Kisoro District, and the First Lady & Minister of Education & Sports Janet Museveni, is expected to attend the commemoration in honour of lives lost to lightning strikes around the world.
ACLENet is urging schools, parents and communities to take simple but life-saving precautions. These include moving children into classrooms fitted with lightning protection as soon as storms begin, keeping learners away from open fields and trees, delaying travel when lightning activity is high, and paying attention to weather updates through reliable communication channels.
The organisation has also set up five lightning safety clubs in schools, training students to act as lightning safety ambassadors within their schools and communities. ACLENet says it works closely with government ministries, local authorities and international lightning experts to roll out data-driven interventions in Uganda and across other African countries.
“Lightning is Africa’s most dangerous natural disaster, but it is preventable,” ACLENet says, urging schools that are not yet protected to prioritise the installation of standard lightning protection systems to keep learners and staff safe during the rainy season.
