Four Pupils Die in Suspected Food Poisoning at Kampala School

Four pupils of TA-ALIIM Primary School and Quran Memorisation Center in Kisaasi, Kampala, have died following a suspected food poisoning incident, while another pupil remains in intensive care.

The deaths have left several families devastated, with parents demanding answers from the school over the circumstances under which their children fell ill and how the affected pupils were handled.

According to the parents, some of the children were sent home on boda bodas after their conditions deteriorated. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, with postmortem examinations expected to establish the actual cause of death.

The parents are currently gathered at Mulago City Mortuary, where they are awaiting postmortem examinations before the bodies are released for burial.

Some parents say the school reportedly informed them that one of the pupils had returned to the boarding section after the Primary Leaving Examinations with oranges from home, which are suspected to have been linked to the incident. However, this claim has not been independently established.

Hassan Magumba, a resident of Kiwatule, lost his 11-year-old daughter, Mariam Nabajja, a Primary Four pupil at the school.

Magumba says his daughter was brought home at about 1pm after falling ill, prompting the family to rush her to Anex Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead at around 2pm.

He says the child was barely responsive and was foaming at the mouth when she arrived home.

“They dropped her at home after allegedly calling me, but my phone was not going through. They found me at home, and we immediately rushed the child to the clinic. However, the doctors told us that she was already dead,” Magumba said.

His brother, Mubarak Kiruta, also lost his daughter, Sumaih Kiruta, another Primary Four pupil. Kiruta’s second daughter, nine-year-old Rahima Kiruta, remains admitted to the intensive care unit.

Kiruta says the children were transported home on boda bodas after falling ill. The family rushed one of them to Mulago Hospital, where blood tests reportedly ruled out malaria. Doctors subsequently suspected food poisoning, but the child died in the early hours of the morning.

He accuses the school of failing to provide a clear explanation of what happened, saying the family has not had an opportunity to meet any school administrator or director.

Instead, he says, the family has only received telephone calls from the school asking about the children’s condition.

Kiruta says the family remains uncertain about Rahima’s chances of recovery as she continues receiving intensive medical care.

Another parent, Nantanda Nasim, says she lost her 12-year-old daughter, Nasuna Kimera, a Primary Four pupil, after receiving a telephone call from the school informing her that the child was in critical condition.

Upon reaching a clinic near the school, Nantanda says she was informed that her daughter was not responding to treatment.

She says financial difficulties prevented her from immediately transferring the child to Mulago Hospital. She instead took her home as the family mobilised money and sought prayers.

“My husband was not around, and I had no money. So, I took the child home on Monday, and we prayed. Later that evening, we brought her to Mulago, but my daughter died that night,” she said.

Nantanda questions why the school has not provided a clear account of how her daughter fell ill, saying the child had left home on Sunday in good health.

Her husband, Rashid Katongole, says the family wants police to conduct thorough investigations to establish what the pupils ate and what could have caused their deaths.

Ismail Kimera, the father of another 12-year-old Primary Four pupil, Nusufa Nasuna, says his daughter was also brought home by the school in critical condition. The family rushed her to Mulago Hospital, but she died upon arrival.

The parents have since been asked by detectives to witness the postmortem examinations as investigations into the incident continue.

They are demanding answers from the school and relevant authorities over the circumstances that led to the deaths and the handling of the affected pupils.

Police investigations and postmortem findings are expected to establish what caused the pupils’ deaths and whether the incident was linked to contaminated food.