Ta-aliim School Remains Closed as Families Await Postmortem Reports

Ta-Aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre in Kisasi remains closed as police investigate the deaths of four pupils following suspected poisoning, with bereaved families waiting for postmortem reports to establish the exact cause of death.

The school management says it will issue a comprehensive statement after receiving the postmortem findings, which are expected within a week, although some parents say they were told to wait for up to two weeks. Uganda Radio Network revisited the school to assess the situation following the tragedy but found the premises closed. A private security guard stationed at the gate told the reporter and other residents that no one was being allowed inside.

Residents appeared calm but remained bewildered by the deaths, with many still struggling to understand what happened at the village’s only school, which also houses a community mosque. Some residents approached journalists seeking information about the source of the oranges suspected to have been eaten by the pupils before they fell ill.

Rose Agaba, a parent at the school, said the tragedy had left the community struggling to come to terms with the loss. She called on the government to introduce strict measures requiring food brought into schools to be inspected before pupils consume it.


School security guard Lameka Musa said the District Police Commander had directed that the school remain closed, with all activities, including prayers at the mosque, suspended until further notice. “At the moment, we are not allowing anyone inside. No activity is ongoing. 

 

The school is closed for now while investigations are still ongoing. I was directed not to allow even people coming to pray inside the mosque,” Musa said.

Meanwhile,  a fifth child, identified as Lahimah Kiruta, who was admitted to the intensive care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital, died on Wednesday evening. However, Kampala Metropolitan Police had not confirmed the reported death by the time of publication. Police spokesperson Rachel Kawala said she needed time to verify the information with Mulago Hospital before commenting.

Hassan Magumba, the father of Mariam Nakitende, one of the pupils who died, said the families were informed while collecting the bodies at about 8 pm that they would be contacted once the postmortem reports were ready. He said they were told the process could take up to two weeks.

“We were told to wait two weeks for the postmortem reports to know exactly what killed our children. Doctors said more samples had been taken by the Ministry of Health to the Entebbe laboratory for further examination, to establish whether an outbreak of a disease could have killed the children. So we were given the bodies without reports,” Magumba said.

Magumba was travelling to Gomba for his daughter’s burial. The four deceased pupils have been identified as 11-year-old Mariam Nakitende, a Primary Four pupil; 11-year-old Rwahim Kiruta, a Primary Five pupil; 11-year-old Nusufa Nasuna, a Primary Four pupil; and nine-year-old Failuzi Nabeta, a Primary Three pupil. They reportedly died at different locations.

According to the school headteacher, Musa Muzamiru, who is in police custody, the pupils developed stomach pain and began vomiting on Monday night after eating oranges shared by 12-year-old Kimera Nasuna, a Primary Four pupil. Kimera had returned to school hours earlier after spending the examination break at home following the Primary Leaving Examinations. Investigations are ongoing to establish what caused the pupils’ illness and deaths.