Rukiga, (UG): Police in Rukiga District are holding in custody one Darius Orikiriza, an enrolled nurse at Mparo Health Center IV in Mparo Town Council on allegations of raping an expectant mother and putting her at a risk of contracting HIV.
Arikiriza is alleged to have forced himself in a sexual act with the 20-year-old victim at around 2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 21, 2023.
According to police preliminary findings, it is alleged the victim, a resident of Maaya village, Kitanga parish, Kashambya sub-county had visited the facility for a pregnancy checkup and was referred to undergo an ultrasound scan for a diagnosis regarding the status of her pregnancy.
However, on arrival at the scanning area, the nurse (Orikiriza) instructed her to undress completely and forcefully had sex with her against her will.
The victim’s alarm for help prompted the authorities at the facility to intervene, and the police were immediately alerted leading to Orikiriza’s arrest.
ASP Elly Maate, the Kigezi region police spokesperson said officers and health workers have already collected genital swabs from both the victim and the suspect for further analysis while Orikiriza was also subjected to an HIV test after his arrest, which returned a positive result.
Ronah Tweheyo Rwebandaira, the Rukiga District Secretary for Health Services, expressed her dismay at the unprofessional behaviour exhibited by a healthcare worker.
She revealed that there had been previous complaints against Orikiriza from other mothers, but due to a lack of substantial evidence, their efforts to address the issue had not yielded results.
ASP Maate says a case on the inhuman incident has been formally registered at Rukiga police station under file number CRB 361/2023 as investigations intensify.
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