Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris has condemned Friday night's terror attack on a school in western Uganda that left at least 40 people, including pupils, dead.
The attack at 11.30 pm Friday was blamed on rebel militants linked to the Islamic State group, IS.
"My heart goes out to the victims of the attack on the Ugandan school. This is a senseless act of violence that has taken the lives of innocent children and adults. We must stand together in solidarity against terrorism and violence," Passaris said in a statement Saturday evening.
Multiple media outlets including the BBC reported that authorities in Uganda blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The authorities said the attack on Lhubiriha secondary school in Mpondwe left eight people in critical condition while several others, mostly girls, were abducted.
The school located in the Kasese district was attended by over 60 learners, most of who were boarders. Several students remain unaccounted for.
Residents told local media that the militants, numbering about five, hacked the victims using machetes and burnt a dormitory by throwing a bomb at it.
Authorities said the victims whose ages were not immediately established were burnt beyond recognition.
The exact number of those who died is still unclear but it is believed members of the community around the school could be among the fatalities.
