18 girls accuse teacher of defilement

By John Semakula

A FORMER teacher at Muteesa I Memorial Primary School in Wakiso district, Vincent Bisegerwa, could soon face charges of indecent assault and defilement.

According to the Police, 18 pupils say Bisegerwa defiled them.

How It Started
One morning, a pupil confi ded in the senior woman, Sarah Akia, that Bisegerwa had defi led her.
“At first, I thought it was a joke,’’ Akia told New Vision.

“I asked her whether she could testify against the teacher and she agreed.”

Akia said she talked to Bisegerwa about the matter and later reported it to the headmaster, Stephen Galiwango.

“I interviewed the girl and went to the concerned offi ce at the district, but did not get any help. I was advised to go to the Police,” Galiwango said.
Asked why it took long for him to find out about the vice, he said Bisegerwa was cunning and often threatened his victims.

Bisegerwa Arrested
Bisegerwa was arrested in November last year. After his arrest, another 17 girls also claimed he had defiled them.
The victims, aged between seven and 13 years, recorded statements at Wakiso Police Station.

Possible Charges
Saturday Vision saw several statements, including medical reports from the Police surgeon, confirming that two victims had their hymens raptured. The reports of the other victims show that their hymens are still intact.

The Police said the suspect could be charged with indecent assault for cases where penetration was not evident.

However, Bisegerwa says he is innocent. In his statement, he claims he is being victimised by his colleagues, which Galiwango refutes.

Bisegerwa was released on Police bond, but later disappeared.

Anger and Appeal
Parents stormed the school, demanding that Bisegerwa be traced. Consequently, Galiwango asked the African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), a non-governmental organisation, to help trace Bisegerwa.

Following ANPPCAN’s intervention, Bisegerwa was found teaching at another school in Wakiso district. He was re-arrested last week.

ANPPCAN spokesperson Marlon Agaba, said the organisation paid a private investigator to find Bisegerwa in a bid to ensure that justice is dispensed.

Agaba, however, said the case had been compromised.

“Eight of the 18 complainants’ files have disappeared from the Police station. Other files have been mixed up. The fi les were supposed to have different CRB numbers, but they have been mixed up,” she said.

Released again
Wakiso district’s officer-in charge of criminal investigations, George Mpungu, said when the files were sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution, the director recommended that the Police carry out further enquiries into the complaints.

“There was no way we could keep the suspect beyond 24 hours. We released him on bond,” he said.

Bisegerwa was released last week on Friday.

ANPPCAN has expressed concern over Bisegerwa’s release, saying he could disappear again, especially because he jumped Police bond and cost the organisation a lot of money to re-arrest him the first time.

But Mpungu is optimistic that Bisegerwa cannot abuse the bond again. Agaba, however, is threatening to involve the Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura, in the matter, to ensure justice is dispensed.