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The incident, which happened on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, happened in Namungo Central Village, Namungo Parish, Namungo Sub-county, Mityana District.
According to the police, pupils are experiencing symptoms such as stomach aches, headaches, and vomiting immediately after being served posho and beans for lunch at 1400 hours.
Over 100 affected pupils were taken to various health facilities, including Namungo Health Centre III and MUKJ Medical Clinic.
The two suspects, identified as Kule Alfred and Mumbere Edger, are both school cooks and have been arrested to aid with the ongoing investigations. Police said they are currently detained at Mityana CPS. Food samples from the school have been collected for forensic analysis.
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The scene of the crime has been visited by police detectives and documented, with statements recorded from victims.
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.
According to the 2022 Police Crime Report, the number of crimes committed in the country increased dramatically in 2022 when compared to the previous year.
The report indicated that the number of offences grew by more than 18% in one year compared to the previous one.
"A total of 231,653 cases were reported in 2022, up from 1960–81 in 2021. Thefts increased by 41% to 61508 from 43583 in 2021, while assaults increased by 9% from 29317 to 32041," the report revealed.
Domestic violence instances grew by 1% to 17698 from 17533 reported in 2021, while breakings increased by 36% to 13826 from 10,148 the previous year, according to the data.