Students Dead at Elementary School After Eating ‘Poisoned’ Oranges

Four young schoolgirls are dead, another child has been hospitalized, and a school official has been arrested after a mysterious tragedy involving oranges shared among students at an elementary school in Uganda.

The disturbing incident unfolded at Ta’aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre in Kampala, where eight children reportedly ate oranges brought to school by a fellow student. What appeared to be an innocent snack soon became the focus of a major police investigation after five of the children began vomiting and four later died.

The girls, ages 9 to 11, died on Tuesday, November 10. Three passed away at their homes, while the fourth died at Kasangati Hospital after being taken for medical treatment. A fifth student was hospitalized following the incident.

Ugandan authorities identified the victims as Mariam Nakitende, 11, Rwahim Kiruta, 11, Nusufa Nasuna, 11, and Failuzi Nabeta, 9.

As investigators scrambled to determine what happened, police arrested the school’s head teacher to assist with the investigation. Authorities have not announced criminal charges against the official or established whether the deaths were caused by deliberate poisoning.

The mystery deepened when investigators reportedly recovered orange peels from the school for forensic examination. Detectives also planned to visit the village where the fruit allegedly originated, hoping to determine whether the oranges contained a dangerous substance.

Meanwhile, grieving parents have raised troubling questions about how school officials handled the emergency.

According to local reports, some families accused administrators of failing to communicate the seriousness of their children’s conditions and questioned whether the students received medical attention quickly enough.

One father described receiving a call informing his family that his daughter’s condition had worsened. Another parent said his child was already barely responsive when she arrived home, prompting a desperate attempt to get her medical treatment.

The tragedy has left the school community searching for answers as police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Authorities have since closed the school and cordoned off the property as a crime scene. Postmortem examinations and forensic evidence are expected to play a crucial role in determining what killed the children.

For now, investigators have not confirmed that the oranges were poisoned, identified a toxic substance, or established whether foul play was involved.

What began as a seemingly ordinary school day has ended in an unimaginable tragedy, leaving four families mourning their children and an entire community demanding answers.