Baby among 20 Congolese jailed in Uganda over illegal entry
Congolese nationals entering Mpigi Grade One Magistrate court on September 5,2023. PHOTO/BRIAN ADAMS KESIIME
What you need to know:
- The convicts had fled their country which is stuck in civil wars, looking for asylum.
The Magistrates Court in Mpigi District has sentenced 23 Congolese nationals including a baby to 10 months imprisonment for illegal entry into Uganda.
Court presided over by Mpigi Grade One magistrate Faridah Nabirye on September 5 also ordered that the group should be deported back to their home country after serving the 10-months jail term or paying a total fine of Shs11.5 million.
"You are hereby sentenced to ten months in prison or pay a fine of Shs500,000 each of you, and then be deported back to your country," she said before sending them to Mpigi Government Prison.
Court record shows that 23 Congolese nationals including a baby were arrested in August after finding them roaming in Mpigi District looking for jobs without valid work permits.
The convicts including 20 males, two females, and a toddler had spent 11 days on remand at Mpigi Government Prison following their arrest in an operation conducted by police in the townships of Buwama and Mpigi.
The court ruling, however, did not go down well with some of the friends of the accused persons, saying it was too harsh.
Mr Mathias Agaba ,who claims to be a relative of one of the convicts ,said the court would have been lenient with their people since they pleaded guilty to the offence and never wasted the court's time.
He said the convicts had fled their country which is stuck in civil wars looking for asylum.
“In my view I think the magistrate could have guided them on how to legalize their stay in the country instead of giving them a harsh punishment,” he said .
Several Congolese have been crossing into Uganda in the past months following instability in their home country. Some have been intercepted in border districts of Kasese , Kisoro and Bullisa.
