By B. Okethwengu

LOOKING pale and helpless, she lies in bed in the maternity wing of Nebbi Hospital. The P.3 pupil of Mamba Primary School in Kucwiny sub-county, Nebbi gave birth to a baby girl by cesarean section on Monday.

The baby weighed 1.6kg at birth and looked underweight.

The 13-year-old (name withheld) says it was not her wish to conceive at a tender age.

“I was defiled by a man when we had gone for the ordination of Rev. Pons Ozelle, the Archdeacon of Padyere Archdeaconry in Padwot, Kucwiny sub-county last year,” she narrated as she broke into tears.

She identified the man as Willy of Mbaro, Nyaravur sub-county in Nebbi district.

She said she could not report the matter to anybody because the man threatened to kill her if she did so.

“I feared for my life. The man kept on intimidating me that he would end my life if I told my parents about it,” she added.

The mother of the victim, Atimango, said they realised that their daughter was pregnant after three months.

“She fell sick for three weeks without improving. When she was taken for a scan, the medical personnel found out that she was pregnant,” she said.

“As a woman I expected my husband to pursue the matter. However, he did not. Even if I had reported, I would not have got the money to follow up the case,” she said.

Her husband Walter Wathum declined to take action after the girl was found pregnant, Atimango said.

Alex Wabwire, the Nebbi district Police commander, said since the case was not reported, it was difficult for the Police to take action immediately.

He blamed the parents of the girl for failure to report the matter.

Dr Kissa Charles Kennedy, the head of reproductive health in Nebbi hospital said the girl needs proper feeding for the baby to survive.

He said the girl does not know how to breast feed the baby.

“The challenge is who will take care of the other, because the mother and the child are babies,” Kissa said.

He admitted that it was the first time in his medical career to attend to such a young girl giving birth.

“Menstruations in girls starts at the age of 13 years, at this age gets into sexual encounters, pregnancy can occur,” he explained.

The victim wants the culprit arrested and prosecuted.