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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in East Kyoga is struggling to investigate cases of defilement.
Information from different districts across the Teso sub region indicates that several teenage girls were impregnated during the lockdown.
In Kapelebyong district, 24 percent of teenage girls conceived while Amuria and Kumi had more than 1,500 girls each. Apart from Soroti which reported 624 teenage pregnancies, almost all districts in Teso recorded more than 1,000 teenage pregnancies in the last seven months.
Most of the pregnancy cases were reported in the health facilities during antenatal visits. According to Sr. Suzan Okwakol, the Assistant District Health Officer who doubles as the in-charge Maternal and Child Health in Kumi, out of 1,900 teenage pregnancies recorded from January to September, 1,200 were registered in health facilities.
Police officers at Amuria police station who preferred anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to the media said that most defilement cases are concealed by the parents as they opt for negotiations with the suspects.
“It is only when they fail in negotiating bride price or fines in the villages that these cases are brought to police. Even after reporting them, if the suspect agrees to pay a fine or bride price, the complainants tactically withdraw the case”, the sources said.
David Ongom Mudong, the East Kyoga Regional Police spokesman says there is little support from the community especially parents in reporting cases of defilement. He notes that even when some concerned residents in the community report defilement cases, the parents don’t cooperate with the police.
Alex Bagada, the Assistant Director of Public Prosecution in charge of Teso and Karamoja says there is a need to change the cultural and social attitude of people in Teso to curb defilement and teenage pregnancies.
According to the police’s annual report of 2019, East Kyoga led in defilement with 945 cases followed by Elgon and greater Masaka regions with 922 and 898 cases respectively.
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