By Allan Olingo
A woman in Rwanda has confessed to poisoning wedding guests by putting rat poison in a pot of local homemade beer three weeks ago.
One person died and 52 others, including the bride and groom, were admitted into hospital after the wedding celebrations held on a Friday night.
Xavera Nyiranshongore said on Tuesday that she was promised Sh15,960 (100,000 Rwandan Francs) to doctor the brew by the mother of the groom and another woman.
Both women deny her allegations, which police say they are investigating.
Sixty-year-old Ms Nyiranshongore, who was arrested on Friday, apologised for what she had done. She said she added the rat poison to the pot of ikigage, a local beer made from sorghum, as it was being brewed on the outskirts of the capital, Kigali, before the festivities.
According to a report by BBC it is common to drink ikigage at weddings and is a very symbolic drink in Rwandan culture.
Police spokesman Willy Marcel Higiro said the case was a warning to the public to guard ikigage brews until they were served.
Some of the guests have recovered and are beginning to return home, although the bride and groom remain in hospital.
