Makerere don rape case in final stages

Dr Christopher Bakuneta at Law development Centre Magistrate Court where he was charged with rape

KAMPALA- Law development Centre Magistrate’s Court Tuesday heard that police is about to finalize investigations into a rape case against a senior lecturer at Makerere University.
Dr Christopher Bakuneta is accused of raping a 22-year-old female student who was living in his garage.
The suspect appeared in a session before magistrate George Watyekere in which the state prosecutor Ms Flavia Birungi informed court that inquiries into his case are in the final stages.

This prompted Mr Watyekere to order for further remand of the suspect to Luzira prison until June 7, for committal once investigations are complete.
Dr Bakuneta is expected to be committed to the High Court for trial since the offence he is charged with is capital in nature and a magistrate’s court has no jurisdiction to handle such offences.

Prosecution states that Dr Bakuneta, a lecturer of Zoology at the College of Natural Science at Makerere University on March 24, this year at the same institution had sexual intercourse with Ms Vasha Ntegeka without her consent.
On April 4, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu, told Daily Monitor that they were working with the police in the rape investigations against Dr Bakuneta
Prof Ssentamu said this was the first sex-related criminal case on record against a lecturer at the university.
The student in her statement told police that she had not locked the door of her room when Dr Bakuneta entered and raped her.

However, Dr Bakuneta who admitted having sex with the victim contends that it was consensual from his office at the Zoology department, not in the garage, the girls dwelling place.
According to the don, the girl reported the case to police in afterthought. The girl reported the matter to police two days later.
HIV Status
The police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, earlier on told Daily Monitor that medical tests on suspect revealed he is HIV positive, which prompted the detectives to amend the rape charge to aggravated rape. The Police doctors put the victim on post-exposure prophylaxis drugs to stop her exposure to HIV.
Current medical tests show she is HIV negative.

SEE RELATED STORIES