A section of officers at Luweero Central Police Station are in hot soup after they allegedly connived with a head teacher and his counterpart a class teacher of St Joseph Bukomba Primary School to conceal defilement and abortion.
The development came after the two monsters James Ssekitto the head master and class teacher Ambrose Okwi defiled a primary seven pupil and administered an abortion procedure which resulted into complications.
The underage girl is currently admitted at Luweero Health Centre IV where she is being treated for post-abortion sepsis.
Now, women members of parliament under their body UWOPA want the officers to explain why they did not carry out arrests of the defilers and the Clinical Officer, Francis Ekeu who carried out the procedure.
Led by their chairperson Monica Amoding, a group comprising of Pamela Kamugo Nasiyo, Mariam Naigaga, Justine Khainza and Lillian Nakate, the Luweero Woman MP stormed the police station and demanded an explanation threatening to carry the issue to the IGP’s desk immediately.
However, a scared Luweero Deputy Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department officer Amos Obina explained to the angry legislators that they had no knowledge of the health worker who administered the abortion but had arrested James Ssekitto, the school head teacher, while the search for Ambrose Okwi was ongoing.
But the no nonsense legislators blamed Obina for mismanaging the case and tasked him to present Ssekitto to confirm whether he doesn't know the clinical officer who administered the abortion. Meanwhile, when Ssekitto appeared before MPs, he confessed that the abortion procedure was indeed done by Francis Ekeu, an officer attached at Luweero Health Centre IV.
Luweero Woman MP Lillian Nakate wondered what more information police wanted to arrest Ekeu.
Amoding on the other hand said she was suspicious police could have taken bribes to let the clinical officer and teacher escape arrest.
Dr Joseph Okware, the District Health Officer would later inform them that Ekeu had escaped but would be brought to book.
In Uganda, abortion is illegal and only permissible if performed by a doctor who believes that the pregnancy places the woman's life at risk. Section 141 of the Penal Code Act provides for a 14-year prison sentence for anyone found guilty of procuring abortion.
According to the Ministry of Health, 1,500 women of child-bearing age die every year due to abortion-related complications. The ministry spends up to 38 billion shillings annually on post-abortion care.
