Police arrest Bukwo LC 5 over human trafficking, defilement

Bukwo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Bukwo LC Chairperson, Julius Moses Chelimo spent Sunday night in police custody. He was picked up by the police crime intelligence unit on Sunday from his home in Bukwo district, according to Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga.

According to Enanga, police swung into action when Chelimo defied several summonses to appear and record a statement on allegations of defilement and human trafficking.

Chelimo, who recently announced his resignation from the office of the LC V chairperson is accused of luring a sixteen-year-old girl into acts of sexual violence with promises of marrying her and getting her a job in November 2021.

In September, Enanga told journalists that they were hunting for Chelimo to respond to the allegations. “We are hunting for the chairman of LC 5 Bukwo district. He has a lot of power and influence in the district and the Sebei region. We also appeal to the public who can lead us to his arrest to help the Police,” Enanga said. Preliminary police findings indicate that the teenager traveled from Bukwo district to visit a relative in Kampala where she met Antony Amidu, a friend of the LC V Chairperson.

Amidu allegedly linked the teenager to the chairperson through a phone call and they started communicating. It is alleged that on May 6th, 2022, another person identified as Ratif Amis from Usafi Market linked her to Chelimo in Kireka, who transported her to Mbale town where they spent a night together at the starlight hotel.

The victim then left the hotel and returned to her parents in Bukwo district for two weeks. In their statement to the police, the parents claim that the teenager disappeared only to be traced and found at the residence of Doreen Chesang, who is related to Chelimo.

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