Police in Mityana have arrested two cooks in connection to the poisoning of pupils at Golden Learning Centre Nursery and Primary School.
At least 100 of the 350 pupils in the school complained of food poisoning two days ago and were rushed to various health facilities.
Racheal Kawala, the Wamala regional police spokesperson, says that the investigations have since led to the arrest of the two cooks identified as Alfred Kule and Edgar Mumbere.
However, SP Kawala said the cooks have been arrested to aid investigation but there is no evidence linking them to the suspected food poisoning. “Two suspects, identified as Kule Alfred and Mumbere Edger, both school cooks, have been arrested to aid with the ongoing investigations and are currently detained at Mityana CPS. Food samples from the school have been collected for forensic analysis,” SP Kawala said.
Food samples have since been brought to the Directorate of Forensic Sciences –DFS at Naguru to establish what kind of poison it was.
Kule and Mumbere have reportedly told police that they prepared the food as usual and even kept monitoring the Kitchen to ensure no unauthorized person accessed it. With respect to the similar incident that happened at Nakanyonyi secondary school in Mukono nearly three months ago, police suspect the food might have become poisonous as a result of poor storage.
Kawala said a decision has been taken to keep the school closed for some time as investigations proceed. Police said only 50 learners are still being monitored in various health facilities while the others have been discharged.
“The school has been sealed off pending further guidance. Preliminary findings indicate a total enrollment of 350 pupils, with most students discharged by evening, leaving about 50 under medical monitoring but in stable conditions. No fatalities have been reported at this time. The suspicion is that the victims may have consumed contaminated food, and investigations are ongoing,” Kawala said.
The school is located at Namungo Central Village, Namungo Parish, Namungo Sub-county, in Mityana District. Most of the victims were complaining of stomach aches, headaches, and vomiting. This was minutes after they had eaten Posho and beans for lunch.
Kawala said the affected pupils were taken to various health facilities, including Namungo Health Center III and MUKJ Medical Clinic. So far, police have recorded statements from more than 20 witnesses including the discharged victims.
