Ugandan police are investigating the deaths of four female students from Ta'aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre in the capital city, Kampala. The students are suspected to have died after eating oranges that may have contained poison.

The children were aged between nine and 11 years. They died on Tuesday. Three died at their homes, while the fourth died in hospital after being taken there for emergency treatment. According to information from the school, eight students ate oranges that had been shared by one of their classmates. Five of them later started vomiting. The fifth student is still receiving treatment in hospital.

The school headteacher has been arrested to help with the investigation. Meanwhile, security officials are carrying out medical examinations on the bodies of the deceased students to establish the cause of death. Police said investigators will also visit the area where the oranges came from. The school has been closed and placed under the control of security authorities as a crime scene.

The incident has caused great sadness among the families who lost their children. Some parents have also expressed dissatisfaction with how the school informed them about what had happened. The incident comes amid growing concerns about food safety and hygiene in Ugandan schools, leading to calls for stronger inspections by the responsible authorities to protect children from possible dangers.

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