This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, police in Machakos arrested three students from Makueni Girls Secondary school for allegedly planning to poison their classmate in a row over a boyfriend.
The Form Two learners, all aged 15 years, allegedly plotted to poison their 15-year-old classmate using chemicals stolen from the school's laboratory.
The plan was reportedly hatched after one of the suspects accused her classmate of snatching her boyfriend, a student at the neighbouring Makueni Boys high school.
According to reports, the student who was to execute the poisoning refused to commit the act, leading to a disagreement that prompted one of the suspects to report to their class prefect about their evil plan.
Police said one of the suspects had recruited her friends to help her 'punish' the classmate, and that they had stolen hydrochloric acid, Benedict's solution, and phenolphthalein indicator.
One of the suspects was supposed to lace the would-be victim's lunch with the poison as the other two kept watch.
Police stated that 'one was to execute the plan by lacing the victim's lunch meal with one of the chemicals namely phenolphthalein indicator while the other two kept vigil.'
