The local leaders in Mukono district are worried by the increasing cases of defilement and teenage pregnancies which are so rampant, especially in Nakifuma County.
The leaders are blaming bodaboda riders and teachers for taking a centre stage of the defilement cases in the district.
Nathan Kigongo, the headteacher of St. Andrew’s Seed Senior Secondary School in Ndwaddemutwe village in Kimenyedde sub-county, Mukono district says the bodaboda riders are engaging school going children into sexual relationships which end up into teenage pregnancies and school dropouts for the victims.
This was revealed during the parents meeting presided over by the Mukono deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mike Ssegawa.
The only government aided school in Nakifuma County, St. Andrew’s Seed Secondary School’s headteacher, Kigongo said it has got over 1,200 students with the biggest numbers being female and in the day section.
Kigongo says that at the beginning of the year, they suggested to the parents of the students from Nakifuma town to use a collective means of transport at a cost, but most of them declined and the school gave up on the idea.
“Most of the students use bodabodas as their daily means of transport to school. It’s those very transporters who turn against the students to engage them into sexual intercourse,” he said.
He added: “One of our students has just given birth to twins. I am optimistic that the parents will make that teen mother come back to school after giving enough time to her twins.”
From the meeting some of the parents said they always find bodaboda riders with the school children moreover in their school uniform, with their motorcycles packed making love in the evening on the way.
Marion Abbo, the Officer in Charge of Nakifuma Police Station also stressed the matter, saying police are investigating a number of defilement cases in the area including some where the suspects are still at large and others who were arrested and charged accordingly.
Abbo said what is surprising is the fact that the list of suspects also has a good number of teachers.
“It’s so unfortunate for people like teachers whom the parents entrust their children with to again turn against them,” she said.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, the police are hunting for the headteacher of Grace Day Orphanage and Primary School, Jolly Joe Otim for defiling his Primary Seven 14-year-old pupil.
Onyango says that during the month of August, 2023, at Busenya Cell in Nakifuma, Nagalama Town Council, Otim allegedly engaged into aggravated defilement with the victim.
“It was established that during holidays, the suspect sent for the victim to go to his home which is also located at the school premises. When the victim entered the room, the suspect closed the door, forcefully undressed her and engaged her into sexual intercourse,” he said.
Onyango also said that in the month of September, Otim gave the victim sh5000 to go for a medical check-up, where it was revealed to her that she was pregnant.
“Again on September 30, 2023, the suspect gave the victim sh60,000 to go and carry out an abortion, which the medical workers objected to and alerted the school director and the victim’s mother,” the KMP spokesperson narrated.
Upon knowing that the message had leaked, Otim disappeared from school to an unknown destination where he is up to now hiding from.
Kyaggwe TV learnt that the victim was escorted by one of her female teachers to the clinic to perform abortion.
The police also arrested Abdul Aziz Sserulyo (19) who defiled a 16-year-old Senior Two student and impregnated her.
Onyango says the victim is a student of Nakifuma High School in Nakifuma Naggalama Town Council. It is alleged that Sserulyo engaged in sexual intercourse with the student in August 2023.
Nakifuma High School headteacher, Arthur Mugwanya told this website that on October 4, when the school had just opened for the third term, they conducted a medical check-up for all the female students to ascertain the status of the students.
Mugwanya said they always conduct a pregnant check-up for the students at the beginning of each term because students mostly engage in sexual intercourse during holidays.
“It was from the medical check-up that the results for that S.2 student tested positive for pregnancy. However, after learning about it, she disappeared from home prompting her father to report a disappearance to the Police,” he said.
Onyango said the victim went to her boyfriend Sserulyo who also took her to her mother’s home for a hideout at Kiwumu village. However, on October 7, 2023, the suspect was arrested and led police to the recovery of the victim.
In the same vein, Naggalama Police Division is hunting for Aron Nabaasa, a teacher at Nabalanga Church of Uganda Primary School in Nakifuma Naggalama Town Council on charges of aggravated defilement.
Nabaasa is said to have arrested a 15-year-old Primary Seven candidate on September 9, 2023 at 5:00pm.
Ssegawa, the Mukono deputy RDC showed dismay saying some parents go ahead and ask for money from the suspects who defile their children to settle the cases out of police and court.
“That is not acceptable and punishable in the courts of law. It’s unlawful to turn your children into commodities to bargain for some amount of money out of them,” he said.
The deputy RDC also warned some police officers who connive with some parents to let free some of the defilement suspects after making them pay some money saying they are also risking arrest.
About the teachers who defile their pupils, Ssegawa said that any teacher who is convicted of defilement marks the end of his teaching career.
“Teachers are second parents to the children who are supposed to play a parental role during the time they spend with the children at school. When one again turns against the innocent children, we have no reason to keep that character in society,” he said.
A big number of students including some in primary and secondary schools were reported to have dropped out of schools after becoming pregnant and others who gave birth during the two years of COVID 19 lockdown. Some of the students went back to school after weaning of their babies whereas others did not. Most of the parents are reported to turn against their children after getting pregnant, including some of those who chase them away from their homes.