We want justice, says tortured baby's dad

By Vision Reporters

Eric Kamanzi, the father of the 18-month- old baby Aneela who was tortured by a maid has said that they want justice.

Kamanzi and his wife who were present in court could not hold back tears as 22-year-old house maid, Jolly Tumuhirwe, admitted to have tortured the baby.

“It is up to the court to give the maid a sentence it deems appropriate,” Kamanzi later told reporters outside court.

Tumuhirwe, who was captured in a video battering Aneela on Monday pleaded guilty to torture charges.

She now faces 15-year imprisonment should the magistrate decide to give her maximum sentence for the offence.

The suspect appeared before City Hall Court presided over by grade one magistrate Moses Nabende and admitted torturing a toddler, daughter of Eric Kamanzi of Kiwatule, a city suburb.

Tumuhirwe, clad in a flowered lemon green top with a black stripped skirt appealed to the parents who were in court for forgiveness. She also apologized for her action.

 "I accept the offence, but I beg court and every person to forgive me for what I did," she said in a fully packed court after the charges where read to her and had confirmed that she had understood them.

Tumuhirwe was not represented by a lawyer during the proceedings. Lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuzi who offered to represent her was not in court.

During the proceedings, after the maid pleaded guilty, prosecution led by Resident State Attorney Joyce Ayebale asked the court for more time to study the file and find out whether the accused had a previous criminal record. The magistrate sent her on remand in Luzira Prison until Wednesday.

Technically, when the maid re-appears on Wednesday she will be free to change her plea but if she maintains plea of guilty then she will be convicted and sentenced.

Tumuhirwe was charged with torture under section 4 (1) of the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act. According to the law, any person who commits an act of torture is liable to imprisonment for 15 years on conviction.


Prosecution alleges that that the suspect, during the month of November 2014 at Kiwatule Kazinga Zone, a city suburb tortured a baby called Amella Kamanzi.
The torture incident was captured in a video recording, which the baby's father Eric Kamanzi submitted to the Police as proof of their (parents) accusation against the maid.
In the video, which went viral on social media, a housemaid in Kiwatule, a city suburb, appears to be beating the baby with a hard object on the face. When the child starts vomiting, the maid is seen in the video, heartlessly throwing her on the floor of the living room. She then beats her with a hard object before stepping on the baby's back several times as the toddler groaned in pain on the floor.
Gender ministry officials had wanted the charges changed to attempted murder which carries a sentence of life imprisonment.  
The DPP's Public Relations Officer, Jane Okuo Kajuga told New Vision that they did not amend the charge to attempted murder because they received the file yesterday morning (Monday) from police. She added that they were still studying the file.
 "Right now the maid has pleaded guilty. We are reviewing the file to get a clear position of the case," she said.
According to the police, the case was reported by the girl's father on November 13 at Kiwatule Police Post after he had viewed the footage of CCTV camera installed in the house.
The maid was first charged with offence relating to domestic violence at Kiira court.