Uganda: Kassanda head teacher arrested over defilement

A secondary school head teacher in Kassanda District is under police detention on charges of aggravated defilement.

Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Racheal Kawala, said that the suspect is accused of defiling a 17-year-old former student at Brain Star Secondary School.

The suspect is a resident of Wakayiba Trading Centre in Kalwana Sub County, Kassanda District.

“We are holding a head teacher for allegedly defiling a student. The victim is a 17-year-old former student of the same school,” SP Kawala said in a police statement on Thursday.

She said police preliminary findings indicate that the victim dropped out of school after the head teacher allegedly defiled and impregnated her in August 2023.

“On February 26, 2024, detectives received a tip-off from concerned residents about the incident and our task teams immediately visited the home. The minor was found heavily pregnant and a case of aggravated defilement was immediately opened up vide Kassanda CRB. 151/2024. The victim has also been issued with Police Form 3A for medical examination,” she said.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and is currently detained at Kassanda Central Police Station.

The case file will be submitted to the Resident State Attorney (RSA) for perusal and legal advice.

According to the recently released Police Crime Annual Report, by the end of 2023, a total of 3846 cases of aggravated defilement were reported to police compared to 3620 cases reported in 2022 indicating a 6.2 per cent increase.

The same report shows that Greater Masaka region registered the highest number of cases of aggravated defilement with 308, followed by Kampala Metropolitan (KMP) North with 267 cases, Kampala Metropolitan (KMP) East with 256 cases, Kampala Metropolitan (KMP) South with 234 cases and Wamala region registered 226 cases of aggravated defilement last year.

The report further shows that 142 pupils were defiled by teachers, 90 were defiled by guardians and 383 were defiled by persons who are HIV positive.