Police in Kumi district have initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the tragic deaths of three children, reportedly poisoned in an act of revenge.
The heart-wrenching incident unfolded in Okudumo village, Okudumo Parish, Mukongoro subcounty in Kumi district. The victims, identified as John Okodos (9), Constantine Olupot (6), and Ignatius Adodo (4), were members of the Omudu family.
According to reports, the suspect, Hellen Adongo, is believed to have laced sweet potatoes with poison and compelled the children to consume them. The chairman of LC11 in Okudumo Parish, Julius Isudo, brought the matter to the attention of authorities by reporting it to the police.
Investigations by the police have unveiled that Hellen Adongo, the alleged perpetrator, had a motive linked to a recent financial dispute with Tom Omudu, the father of the deceased children. Adongo had served as the treasurer of a savings group from which a substantial amount of money was stolen last year.
Although Omudu was initially arrested in connection with the theft, he was later released, causing frustration for Adongo, who had anticipated recovering her lost funds.
John Robert Tukei, the East Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson, confirmed the opening of a murder case by poisoning against Hellen Adongo and her husband, Julius Ogwang. The case has been registered under SD REF No 07/28/12/2023 and CRB No 806/2023 at Kumi CPS.
Tukei disclosed that one of the deceased children, in a dying confession, revealed that they were coerced into consuming the poisoned food by Adongo, who had allegedly threatened harm to Omudu or his children.
Postmortem results, conducted by a pathologist at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, indicated the presence of substances suspected to be poisonous in the children’s bodies, confirming the tragic nature of their deaths.
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