18 Budaka pupils eat rat poison mistaking it for glucose

By Paul Watala

 Eighteen pupils of Namirembe Boarding primary school in the eastern district of Budaka were admitted to Budaka health center after eating rat poison mistaking it for glucose.

According to the deputy head teacher, Robert Mukasa, a P2 pupil Cryspus Looki on Tuesday carried the rat poison from his grandmother's home.

“This boy stays with his grandmother who had bought powdered poison to kill the rats in the house but placed it within reach of children. In the morning the boy placed the box of poison in his bag and went to school while the grandmother was still asleep,” Mukasa said.

“During break time the boy got out his box and started licking it and his classmates begged him for some and he shared it with 17 of his classmates," he said.

 The number would have been bigger than that but what saved others was one boy who saw the box had a label with pictures of rats and informed the teachers that his friends had eaten poison,” Mukasa said.

He said that shock gripped the school and teachers called an assembly to identify those who had eaten the rat poison and took them to the school clinic where they were given anti-poison charcoal tablets as first aid.

He said that the pupils who ate the poison were in the six to eight age bracket, adding that all were P2 pupils.

“After administering first aid we called the school pickup truck driver and transported them to Budaka health centre for further treatment,” Mukasa added.

He identified the pupils who ate poison as, Sandra Mukera, Regan Famba, Arafat Makobi, Bakale Ochola, Muhamudu Bonyo, Emma Mulabi, Elyazari Wairagara, Joshua Kigenyi, Afhan Mugada and Patrick Kisara.

Others were Solomon Wagaine, Aziz Zebulon, Rashid Pulisi, Budala Bukya, Zefa Wamani, Steven Walwambe, Patrobus Gonda and Cryspus Looki.

Namirembe boarding primary school clinic nurse, Janet Hope Higenyi confirmed that all the 18 children ate poison and she gave them Ant Poison charcoal tablets before referring them to Budaka health Centre.

“The conditions was not all that bad and after giving them first Aid some of them started vomiting which was a sign that they would get better, ” Higenyi said.

Budaka health Centre nursing officer who was on duty at the time and preferred enormity because is not allowed to talk to press said that most of them have been discharged, adding that the condition of Cryspus looki is still bad and he has been referred to Mbale referral hospital.

“This boy ate a lot of poison compared to the friends that is why he has taken long to recover. They pupils are being handed over to the school administration and good news is that some of them were discharged and have resumed school,” she said.