Two teachers arrested over defilement in Kaliro district

Two primary school teachers from Kaliro District have been arrested over charges of aggravated defilement.

The duo from different schools have been identified as Grace Mukabire, 35, and Protus Fumbula Wafula, 27.

Mukabire, a resident of Buyunga zone, Kaliro Town, allegedly defiled a pupil of Kaliro Church of Uganda Primary School from Nakiyanja Zone in t Kaliro Town, while Wafula allegedly defiled a pupil of Home Darling Day and Boarding Primary School and resident of Bwite village, Mpande town Namutumba District.

It is alleged that during the second term of the 2023 academic year at Kaliro Church of Uganda Primary School, Mukabire while at school approached the victim who was a Primary Six pupil and seduced her into a sexual affair.

The two allegedly started meeting at the teacher's residence for sexual intercourse before being caught this year.

Micheal Kasadha, the Busoga North Police spokesperson while speaking to New Vision on Wednesday, said that according to preliminary investigations, on January 6, 2024, the victim disappeared from her parents' home, until Monday, January 8, and upon investigations, she was found at the residence of the suspect watching a movie.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and is being kept at Kaliro Central Police Station pending further investigations under case file number KLR CRB 010/2024.

Kasadha added that in the second case, investigations suggest that during the third term of the 2023 academic year, the suspect was a teacher of the victim who was in Primary Seven.

Kasadha noted that the accused teacher Wafula seduced her into a sexual affair to the extent of giving her his telephone contact that kept the two in communication.

“Subsequently the two allegedly met after some time of communication, had sex, and early this year where after the victim disclosed everything to her sister about her relationship with the teacher,” Kasdha said.

He added that this prompted the sister to report to Ivukula Police Station under Namutumba District where Wafula was arrested and investigations kicked off.

Namutumba District which falls under Busoga East where the case was reported but the case has been transferred to Kaliro while the suspect was arrested and detained pending further investigations.

This is the second case of the same nature in less than a month in Kaliro.

Kasadha implored members of the public to actively join other stakeholders in the fight against sexual practices that undermine the well-being of children.

Aggravated defilement is when an adult performs sexual intercourse with a very young child (between days old to 14 years) and circumstances include if the offender (adult) is HIV-positive, a blood relative to the victim, and/or is in authority over the child e.g. a parent, an uncle, aunt etc.

Also considered in the passing of the aggravated defilement sentence is if the offender is a person with authority over the victim such as a teacher where the victim (child) is a person with a disability or where the offender is a serial offender.

On conviction at the High Court, such a person is liable to death.

Busoga East oversees over Iganga, Bugweri, Bugiri, Mayuge, Namayingo, and Namutumba districts while Busoga North oversees Kamuli, Buyende, Luuka, and Kaliro districts.