Jinja, (UG):- The Territorial Police in Buwenge, Jinja District have arrested and detained two suspects on charges of defiling one-year-old and 10-year-old minors in Butagaya Sub County and Buwenge Rural respectively.
Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson, SP James Mubi confirmed the report in a statement. The first case involved Geoffrey Waiswa Ikumbi, 26, who reportedly defiled a one-year-old neighbour’s daughter from Nakakulwe B village on Martyrs’ Day.
It is reported that Waiswa has been spying on the movements of the victim’s parents until the fateful day when he grabbed the minor in his chest and reportedly defiled her several times from the home of the victim’s parents in absentia before being noticed by a passerby.
“The second case involved a suspect identified as Bulolin Otenge, 19, who is a night watchman at Kawomera restaurants located at Butangala A village, Buwenge rural Sub County in Jinja district who defiled a 10-year-old girl,” Mr Mubi stated, adding that Otenge reportedly grabbed and defiled the victim as she had gone to fetch water on May 31, 2024.
According to preliminary police reports, the suspect is alleged to have tiptoed the victim up to the borehole where she had gone to fetch water and reportedly slapped the victim on the cheeks as a way of instilling fear in her before defiling her in the nearby bush.
“The parents realized that their child had delayed returning home, so they followed up only to be shocked by the actions of the suspect. The suspect took off but police tirelessly searched and arrested him with the support of the community members,” he stated.
Further information obtained by DailyExpress indicates that Otenge has been luring the minor with pancakes, posh and beans obtained from his workplace.
Areas of Butagaya Sub County, Buwenge, Kakira and Buyengo Town Councils and Buwenge rural in Jinja district have recently been rocked with sexual violence against children; however, police have vowed to fight such cases.
“Police are very determined to arrest and prosecute culprits and continue to sensitize the public with collaborative efforts from other stakeholders about the dangers of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) and violence against children (VAC),” SP Mubi emphasized.
The victims were both undergoing serious psychosocial support and counselling from the child and family protection unit officers by press time, and the suspects still in detention at Buwenge CPS where they have been formally charged with aggravated defilement.
The 2023 Police annual crime report shows that a total of 13,144 juveniles were defiled last year, of whom 383 were defiled by persons living with HIV/AIDs.
Out of the total victims, 12, 818 were females while 326 were males. At least 97 of these were defiled by parents, 90 by guardians and 211 were defiled by their teachers. Defilement victims with disabilities were 131.
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