Police in Kabale District in western Uganda are holding a 53-year-old woman on murder charges after she allegedly served two pupils poison-laced food when they visited her restaurant for lunch.

One of the pupils died shortly after reaching home.

Seven-year-old Blessing Kukundakwe, a pupil at Kijuguta primary school in Kabale municipality and her 10-year-old sister, Sincere Ainebyoona Ampurira, are said to have eaten the food at Busingye local hotel located at Rwakaraba trading center in Northern division, Kabale municipality.

“It's alleged that on Thursday morning the victims’ mother, Ms Ritah Nasasira, sent them to school having given them money for lunch as she left for work. At lunch time, the two siblings are said to have gone to the restaurant to eat but shortly after the meal, they both started experiencing stomachache. When they reached home, they started vomiting before Kukundakwe died,” Kigezi region police spokesperson, Mr Elly Maate, said.

When Ms Nasasira returned from work at around 9pm, she found Kukundakwe dead while Ampurira was in critical condition but able to narrate what had happened before she was rushed to Rugarama hospital in Kabale Municipality where she is getting treatment.

Ms Nasasira reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Ms Violet Habyarimana whom Ampurira identified as the person who had served them the food.

According to Maate, a case of murder by suspected poisoning has been recorded at Kabale central police station as inquiries continue.