Teacher jailed for sodomising pupil
KAMPALA. The High Court yesterday sentenced a teacher to seven years in prison for sodomising an 11-year-old pupil.
The long-awaited judgment was delivered after six distressful adjournments by the presiding judge since April 12. George Makande, a former teacher at Mwebaze Nursery and Primary School in Wakiso District was found guilty of aggravated defilement.
“There was no doubt created in the prosecution evidence that was produced in court. In most of the sexual offences, it is only the victims who are the eyewitnesses. The victim knew the teacher very well since he was his teacher for so long. The victim himself testified that he was sodomised and was also never challenged by the defence lawyer,” Justice Joseph Murangira observed.
The state prosecutor asked court to sentence Makande to 25 years in jail, saying sodomy is against Ugandan culture.
“The law emphasises that sodomy is a serious case that calls for a maximum sentence of death. This court has a role in regard to society by keeping away such people,” prosecutor Mr Isaiah Wanamama submitted.
However, the convict’s lawyer, Mr Saka Ssegane counter-pleaded for a lenient sentence, against Makande on account that he is a young man and keeping him for so long in prison will ruin his future.
Justice Murangira noted that Makande’s actions of committing a Biblical and cultural crime cast his profession in shame. Instead of a 10-year jail term, Murangira sentenced Makande to seven years in prison after deducting three years he had spent on remand.
The evidence showed that Makande, who also was the dormitory master at the same school between March and April 2014 repeatedly sodomised his Primary Six pupil whenever his colleagues would go to line up for supper or leave for co-curricular activities. The boy told court that Makande found him in a school dormitory cleaning, shut the door and ordered him to undress. The boy said Mr Makande proceeded to have anal sexual intercourse with him, an incident that happened twice.
