Police arrests over 50 children for not reporting to school

By Donald Kiirya

POLICE in Jinja has arrested over 50 school going children including two daughters to the Mafubira Sub County L.C 3 chairperson for failure to report to their schools yet the term begun on February 2.

The operation conducted on Thursday was initiated by Network for the Marginalized Children and Youth (NEMACY) Uganda in partnership with Mafubira Sub-County Police post and education officials from Jinja.  

According to Pastor Paul Batambuzze, the program officer at NEMACY in Jinja, the operations started on Wednesday in Buwenge Town Council where they arrested over 50 school going children who were still engaged in child labour activities at their homes.

He said the operations were conducted in Makenke, Mafubira and Wanyange villages in Mafubira Sub County in Jinja district.   

Batambuzze said they arrested 50 children who included two who belong to Hamis Kiganira, the Mafubira L.C 3 chairperson.

“Children we have arrested have been brought at Mafubira Sub County headquarters where their parents will come so that we solve their issues and open up files against them over failure  to take their children to school and instead subject them to child labour activities,” Batambuzze said.
 

Hamis Kiganira's two daughters on the right and 2nd right who were among the children that were arrested in Mafubira on Thursday. PHOTO/Donald Kiirya

Patricia Mukoda, a social worker with NEMACY under the project of improving access to basic primary education said some of the children were found working in sugar cane plantations, others fishing, making bricks and distilling a local brew (Waragi) at Makenke village.

Mukoda called upon parents who have not yet taken their children back to school to do so.

She added that a total of 100 children had been arrested in Buwenge town council and Mafubira Sub County in Jinja district and operations are still on going until parents take back their children to school.
 
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