The Rakai poison incident has claimed the fifth child who died in Rubaga Hospital on Sunday night. The victim was quickly buried the next day after the body was returned home. The unfortunate event occurred on Easter at Kirangira village, Kasankala sub-county, in Rakai district.
Alfa Kamoga, 6, who was still surviving of the five children who took Paraqua, a highly toxic chemical herbicide, also passed on exactly one week of struggling to save his his life.
Kamoga was rushed to Rubaga for urgent attention after taking the largest amount of the toxin. Other four victims namely Jovan Kivumbi, 4, Shivan Mirembe, 3, Elijah Lubyayi, 3, and Sarah Nabukenya, 2, succumbed to the toxin on different days last week.
Fred Bongole, a family member, says Kamoga passed on Sunday night and they buried him in Lwamaggwa village still in Lwamaggwa sub-county on Monday. It is reported that the children had gone to stay with their grandmother in Kirangira when the incident happened.
According to Bongole, their grandmother, whose name has been withheld to protect her, had prepared a special herbal concoction for them. However, she had stored it in a mineral water bottle similar to the one she had kept the Paraqua chemical. He explains that she told the children to go take the concoction but they accidentally picked the wrong bottle and took the toxin in large amounts.
After drinking the dangerous substance, te children started vomiting and complaining of severe stomachache, prompting their grandmother check what was wrong. Upon realizing that her grandchildren had taken the toxic chemical she fainted leaving them helpless.
It was their grandfather Edward Ssemwezi, on realizing what was happening, that mobilised concerned neighbours responded who rushed them to a nearby clinic. Kamoga was rushed to Rubaga hospital after his siblings passed away in three days after the incident.
Two cousins of the deceased were among the victims that passed away on Thursday and Saturday. Peace Nambatya who lost three children – Kamoga, Kivumbi, and Mirembe says it is an unfortunate incident and they are still shocked.
Daniel Wasswa, who lost two children Lubyayi and Nabukenya, says he had warned his wife not to take his children away because he could take care of them during the Easter holidays.
However, ASP Muhammad Nsubuga, the Masaka Regional Police spokesperson, says they are following up the unfortunate incident to establish what actually happened. Police has called upon everyone with information regarding the incident to help police in order to get on bottom of the matter.
