Ugandan police have arrested the head teacher of Ta’aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre in Kampala as detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding a suspected poisoning incident at the institution.
The head teacher, identified as Muzahim Ssuuna, was taken into custody to assist with investigations following an incident that left four pupils dead and another hospitalised.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Racheal Kawala said detectives were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the possibility of food or chemical poisoning.
The investigation has extended beyond the school premises, with officers seeking to establish what the affected pupils consumed, where it originated and how the children developed similar symptoms.
Police forensic officers visited the institution on Wednesday, November 11, and reportedly recovered orange peels for examination. Investigators are seeking to establish whether the fruit contained harmful substances that could explain the children's illness.
The oranges are believed to have been brought to the school by a pupil who reportedly collected them from Kifumbiro-Manyangwa in Wakiso District before sharing them with other learners. Detectives are expected to visit the area to investigate the possible source of contamination.
The inquiry has also drawn attention to the school's handling of the emergency. Local area information secretary Eria Matovu Makura told The Observer that the school director and dormitory matron initially took affected pupils to a nearby clinic for first aid after they began experiencing stomach complications.
As the children's conditions worsened, the school reportedly began releasing pupils to their parents, with some families arranging transport to seek further medical attention.
Some parents subsequently accused the school administration of failing to provide clear and timely information about their children's conditions as they sought medical assistance.
The school premises in Kikulu Zone, Kikaaya Parish, Kawempe Division, have since been cordoned off as a crime scene. The institution has also been closed as detectives continue collecting evidence and questioning people who may help establish the sequence of events.
The arrest of Ssuuna does not amount to a finding of criminal responsibility, and police have not announced any charges against him. His detention is part of ongoing investigations into the incident.
Post-mortem examinations are being conducted to establish the exact cause of the four pupils' deaths, while forensic analysis of the recovered material is expected to help investigators determine whether poisoning was involved.
