Pastor accused of raping tourist further remanded to Luzira
Pastor Joseph Collins Twahirwa who is accused of raping Saulite Anda, had appeared before the court for further mention of the case. Photos | Juliet Kigongo
What you need to know:
- Pastor Joseph Collins Twahirwa who is accused of raping Saulite Anda, had appeared before the court for further mention of the case. He was further remanded after prosecution led by Ms Miriam Akiite told the court that investigations in the matter are incomplete thus seeking an adjournment. The case was adjourned to February 16 for further mention.
Nakawa Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa on Wednesday further remanded a man accused of raping a Latvian woman on holiday in Uganda.
Pastor Joseph Collins Twahirwa who is accused of raping Saulite Anda, had appeared before the court for further mention of the case. He was further remanded after prosecution led by Ms Miriam Akiite told the court that investigations in the matter are incomplete thus seeking an adjournment. The case was adjourned to February 16 for further mention.
The prosecution contends that Pr Twahirwa, a lawyer by profession, on December 12, 2022 at Munyonyo Zone in Kampala had carnal knowledge with Anda without her consent.
When he first appeared in court on January 19, the magistrate did not allow Pr Twahirwa who was putting on a hoodie to hide from the prying lenses of photojournalists to take a plea on grounds that the charge against him is a capital offence that can only be heard by the High Court.
Nation Media Group-Uganda earlier last month exclusively reported about the predicament Anda claims Twahirwa subjected her to shortly after touching down in Uganda on December 11, 2022.
The 36-year-old Latvian said Mr Twahirwa told her “he wanted to have a baby … pushed me onto the bed and raped me” on the night of December 11, 2022.
Pastor Joseph Collins Twahirwa appears before Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court in Kampala
Anda also recounted her torment when she tried to file a case, first, at Jinja Road Police Station and, later, at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID).
At the former, officers asked the Latvian to either “buy [fuel] to put in [their] car” or “to sleep with me.” At CID, the officers told Anda that she was “playing with a man who has big people around.”
The officers at Jinja Road Police Station, including Detective Sergeant Oyela Doreen, Detective Corporal Judith Akite, and Detective Joyce Ayeleget, were arrested and will be charged with irregular conduct contrary to Code 12 Section 44 of the Police Act.
Anda’s case has put the reputation of police officers on the line as much as Pentecostal pastors. When the Latvian tried to file a case at Jinja Road Police Station, it is alleged that the police officers joined Mr Twahirwa’s followers in tormenting her.
Anda said that her phone was grabbed and all communications she had with Mr Twahirwa on social media were deleted in an attempt to destroy evidence of their interactions. Before, the officers at the station had allegedly forcibly removed shoes from her feet and roughed her up before locking her up in a cell. She was later released and ordered to withdraw the case against Mr Twahirwa.
