Parents Starve 3 Babies

By Lillian Nalumansi THREE babies have been starved to near death by their parents in Biina D, Zone, Butabika Parish, Luzira. The twins, one-and-a-half years, and a four-month-old baby boy were discovered by the Butabika Parish Child Rights Advocate Proscovia Kasule. Kasule has reported the matter to the Naguru Probation and Welfare Office which is to arrest 20-year-old Annet Nayiga and Ssengendo Sekayi. They are to be taken to the Children's Court in Luzira to face charges. When The New Vision visited the home in a slum area in Butabika Parish, Kizza, the four-month-old baby boy, was naked and cried most of the time. He has a very big stomach, extremely small legs, frail buttocks, brown hair and his ribs stick out. He has also developed pneumonia. Kato, one of the twins, has swollen private parts and cried in pain when his right leg, fresh with a big burnt wound, was straightened out by Kasule, who took The New Vision to the home. The other twin, Flavia Babirye, has a protruding stomach. The three babies lay together on a small mattress laid on the floor and were being looked after by their two older brothers Ssempala, 6 and Marvin Ntata, 5. Kasule said Nayiga was an alcoholic, who leaves no food for the children yet she comes home late at night. She said Kizza has never left the house while Kato was burnt by a saucepan of food that fell off a stove (sigiri) which he crawled to during Nayiga's absence. However, when Nayiga returned to the one roomed mud house after about 10 minutes, she said her husband Ssengendo Sekayi a casual labourer at the lakeside in Luzira does not give her money to buy food for the children. "I am not negligent as you have been told. My husband does not leave me with a penny and yet I do not work. How do people expect me to look after them," Nayiga who spoke in Luganda said. When asked why her baby was in such a bad shape yet at his age he does not eat food, Nayiga who looked healthy said she does not have breast milk. Neighbours accused Nayiga of negligence. An elderly man said she "gets money from the different men and spends it on crude waragi." Kasule who spoke in Luganda said, "I got concerned about these children when it was reported that when this woman goes out drinking, she never returns. "I talked to her and her husband on a number of occasions and he started leaving her with money and she would stay at home with her children." Kasule said the children's condition improved considerably then. She added, "However, after a month, Nayiga started drinking again and leaving the children unfed and unattended to." Ends