Makerere University official penalised over sexual assault

Oct 03, 2020

In her testimony before court, Njoroge said Kisuze allegedly locked her up in his office and started romancing her by force.

COURT|SEXUAL HARASSMENT|INDECENT ASSAULT|CRIME

KAMPALA - Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Miriam Ayo Akello has trashed administrative assistant Edward Kisuze's defence and convicted him of indecent assault.

"All ingredients of indecent assault have been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution through its witnesses. The accused is accordingly convicted on the offence of indecent assault," Akello ruled.

Background

On April 13, 2018, Rachael Njoroge went to Makerere University in Kampala to certify her transcript and pick her recommendation letter following her graduation.

She was referred to administrative assistant Edward Kisuze's office for help. Kisuze instead made sexual advances towards her.

In her testimony before court, Njoroge said Kisuze allegedly locked her up in his office and started romancing her by force.

He also told her that he wanted to perform oral sex with her.

She added that it is at that moment that she took a selfie while Kisuze was between her legs and shared it on social media.

"He put his fingers in my private part, which was so painful," Njoroge said.

The pictures showing a man's head between a female's legs went viral on social media.

Days later, Njoroge lodged a complaint at Police, which apprehended Kisuze.

Consequently, Kisuze, formerly a faculty registrar at the College of Computing and Information Science, was charged with attempted rape and indecent assault at Buganda Road Court in Kampala.

He denied the charges and claimed that when Njorege entered his office, she purportedly told him that she was feeling shaky and that she had not eaten anything since morning on the fateful day.

"As she tried to stand, she broke down in my office. I thought she was suffering from epilepsy. I gave her some water and she regained consciousness. It is at this moment that she asked what I was doing with her. While wailing, she picked her phone from the bag and took the pictures," Kisuze argued.

Kisuze contended that Njoroge was framing him to destroy his 20-year career and his marriage.

The court, however, acquitted Kisuze on the charge of attempted rape on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove all its ingredients beyond reasonable doubt.

The court fined him to a fine of sh4m and in default, serves a two-year jail term. The offence elicits a maximum punishment of 14 years in prison on conviction.

The magistrate concurred with the prosecution that although Kisuze's face was hidden, the information availed by the victim was enough to pin him since he has been acting as the faculty registrar and the one who occupied the same office.

Sexual harassment cases

Sexual harassment against female students has been rampant at Makerere University.

In July 2017, a lecturer in the School of Statistics and Planning was accused by six female students of sexually harassing and assaulting them. He was suspended.

In April 2017, two female students of medicine and surgery approached the mentorship committee of the College of Health Sciences complaining of being sexually harassed by some lecturers.

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