Police probe woman over sodomy claims

Police are investigating a woman, who posted an audio that went viral on social media claiming that her husband had sodomised their children.
Police say they suspect the woman is fabricating information to taint the image of her partner with whom she is battling a divorce case in court. 
In the viral audio, the woman severally alleges that the husband sexually abused their two children, but the police say the information was investigated and the alleged victims were twice subjected to medical examination that turned out to be negative. 
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the woman could be fabricating evidence against her husband. 

“The public should know that this is the third occasion that this matter is coming up. In the two previous complaints, the complainant was found to have maliciously fabricated the allegations against her husband, after no proof of inappropriate or sexual behaviour was established between her husband and their two children,” Senior Commissioner of Police Enanga said yesterday.
The viral audio came up at a time when allegations of sodomy are widespread in the country, attracting the attention of several politicians, religious leaders and rights activists. 
The anti-gay groups have exerted pressure on the police to investigate the matter. Some anti-gay groups were inciting the public to harm the alleged suspect, which prompted the police to act fast. 

According to the police, the woman, who is a teacher, first accused her husband of sodomy in March 2021. 
“As a result, the mother, father and children were interviewed by a specialist CID team trained to investigate incidents of child sexual abuse. The two children were temporarily separated from their parents and placed under a neutral home. A counsellor was attached to them for psychosocial counselling services for the entire period, away from their home,” Mr Enanga said. 

Mr Enanga added, “From the interviews and findings, the counsellor did not find any signs of physical or sexual abuse, but she indicated that they had signs of psychological torture as a result of abuse from their mother. The victims were also examined by doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital, and none of them found any evidence of alleged physical and sexual abuse.”
Mr Enanga said the dissatisfied woman later lodged another complaint to then Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gen Paul Lokech (RIP), who ordered police at Kajjansi to reinvestigate the case, which was done. 

“The mother, father, children and witnesses were interviewed and the alleged victims re-examined by another group of medical doctors at Mulago. The findings still came out negative. The case files were submitted to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), where it was established that the complainant had maliciously fabricated allegations against her husband and advised that the case file of sodomy and aggravated defilement, be closed and put away for lack of sufficient evidence,” Mr Enanga said.
 
The police also investigated a related case file of alleged domestic violence against the woman. The DPP too didn’t find evidence and ordered the case to be closed.
“The allegations were, therefore, established to be wrongful and maliciously sought to throw the father of her children in prison, and thereby gain all power over their children and property. She tried to gain leverage over the family conflict by portraying her husband as dangerous to their children and yet the findings established that their father did not pose any adverse risk of harm to their children,” he said.

Despite that background, the police said they would look into the case again if there are any developments.
“Right now, the children are in school, the complainant continues to stay in the family home and her husband is staying separately in Ntinda [in Kampala]. The couple have a divorce case ongoing in court,” he said.