LUUKA – Police in Luuka District are investigating a suspected food poisoning incident in which 26 pupils of Buwanda Primary School fell ill after eating white ants brought to the school by one of their colleagues.
The incident occurred on Friday morning, August 7, 2026, at the school in Buwanda Village, Bugomba Parish, Nawampiti Sub-county, after the pupils consumed the insects and later developed stomach pain.
Samson Lubega, the Busoga North Region Police spokesperson, said the incident was reported at Nawampiti Police Station and investigations had been launched to establish what caused the pupils to fall sick.
According to police, the incident was first noticed by a Primary Three teacher after one pupil complained of stomach pain while in class. Several other pupils later developed similar symptoms, prompting the school administration to intervene.
Preliminary findings indicate that the affected pupils had eaten white ants brought to school by a fellow pupil identified as Namukose Peace. Police said Namukose told investigators that her mother had given her the insects.
The school administration immediately rushed the affected pupils to Ikonia Health Centre III for treatment. They were later referred to Kiyunga Health Centre IV for further medical management.
Lubega cautioned against concluding that the pupils had been poisoned before investigations and medical assessments are completed.
“At this stage, it would be premature to conclude that the pupils were poisoned. We are working to establish the source and nature of the food consumed and whether there was any contamination or poisonous substance involved,” Lubega said.
Police are investigating where the white ants were obtained, how they were prepared and whether they could have been contaminated before being consumed by the pupils.
Authorities have also urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information as investigations and medical assessments continue.
Lubega called on anyone with information that could help establish what happened to report to the nearest police station.
