Nakalema grills police officers in baby swap scam

KAMPALA - Panic has gripped Police officers as the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) head, Lt. Col Edith Nakalema starts investigating the Kawempe baby swap scam.

On March 21, Dr George Ssenkomi of Kamc medical centre allegedly swapped a live male baby with a dead one. He gave his pastor friends Raymond Magge and Patience Magge Biwaga a live baby. And he gave the real parents Gloria Awino and Rogers Egonga a dead one. A few days later when the real parents had finished burial, they found out that the baby they had buried was not theirs.

The parents had received a revelation from one of the doctors at the medical centre, Dr Pius Lwamafa who was later fired.

On Wednesday, Nakalema grilled SP Cherry Mbabazi, the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (CIID) boss and John Bosco Opio, the officer in charge of Kawempe Police Station for close to two hours at SHACU head offices in Kampala.

The officers laboured to explain to Nakalema why investigations in the matter delayed but the unit's head was not satisfied with their explanations.

"My concern is the incident happened on March 22, 2020, until Dr Lwamafa, who saved the life of the baby got concerned yet the case was reported to Kawempe Police Station," Nakalema wondered.

She added, "From January, this year when Lwamafa joined the medical centre, he noticed criminal activities including abortions conducted day and night".

Basing on these assertions, Nakalema said she was disappointed with the Police for not handling the matter well.

"Uganda Police. Why should people be tortured by you taking three months to solve the dispute of the stolen baby," Nakalema asked.

Nakalema also wondered why suspects Ssenkomi, Mawge and Biwaga were released on police bond so quick and were forced to negotiate with the parents of the live baby.

"To me this is corruption because why would police ask the parents of the baby for money to carry out DNA on the baby," furious Nakalema roared.

Nakalema reminded the CIID boss that there pending cases against her over moral misconduct.

The interrogation took place in the presence of Andrew Khauka, the presidential assistant litigation on corruption, Joel Okullo, the chairman Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council, Luke Owoyesigire, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson and the parents whose live baby was swapped with a dead one.

When quizzed, all the police officers who were handling the case explained that investigations delayed because they wanted to confirm the father of the baby as they waited for DNA results from Government Analytical Laboratory (GAL).

When asked by Nakalema why they did not get DNA results since March, Police officer John Bosco Opio said GAL delayed to deliver the results they got from the samples but the file was ready to be taken to court.

Opio revealed that they have a court order allowing them to exhume the body of the dead baby.

Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigire, assured the complainants of their support.

The chairperson of the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council, Dr Joel Okullu, noted that the Doctor who swapped the baby is not a doctor but a clinical officer. He also noted that all the staff members at Kamic medical centre have no valid working permits.

The facility was closed on Wednesday by the council.