Woman on trial for stealing human kidney
Miria Rwigambwa, a businesswoman in Mbarara District in the dock at Nakawa Magistrate's Court on April 17, 2018. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- On July 2014, the accused facilitated Arinaitwe, her husband and her step-son Dickson Tumwebaze to travel to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in India for the kidney transplant.
- The accused processed travel documents for Arinaitwe using forged information on a birth certificate presenting herself and husband as his biological parents instead of indicating Nnalongo Busingye Kyabalongo and the late Kyabalongo as the true parents.
KAMPALA. A woman has been committed to the High Court for trial on charges of aggravated human trafficking and luring her shop attendant into donating his kidney to her husband.
Miria Rwigambwa, a businesswoman in Mbarara District is accused by Brian Arinaitwe of duping and facilitating him to India for removal of his body part.
The accused appeared before Nakawa Grade One Magistrate, Noah Sajjabi who committed her to the High Court for trial.
Prosecution states that Ms Rwigambwa on July 2014 forged Arinaitwe’s birth certificate and a citizenship verification form B and that in March 2013 there was a fight between Ntare High School and Mbarara High School and among the injured was the accused’s son Michael Arinda who was rescued by Arinaitwe.
Due to the assistance rendered by the victim, he was welcomed into the accused’s family and consequently offered a job at the family’s hardware shop in Mbarara town.
However after working for a few months, Ms Rwigambwa requested Arinaitwe to donate a kidney to her sick husband the late John Rwigambwa but the accused refused.
“The accused knowing she had control or authority over the victim instead lured him with hefty rewards which included part of the family arcade in Mbarara, a plot at Makenke and another plot with an incomplete building in Katete in Mbarara Municipality in return for the kidney donation although no written agreement to this effect was made,” reads part of the evidence the state tends to rely on.
It is further stated that after consenting to donate his left kidney to the accused’s husband he was taken to Mulago Hospital in Kampala and Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi to establish whether he was a suitable donor.
It is stated that later the accused processed travel documents for Arinaitwe using forged information on a birth certificate presenting herself and husband as his biological parents instead of indicating Nnalongo Busingye Kyabalongo and the late Kyabalongo as the true parents.
On July 2014, the accused facilitated Arinaitwe, her husband and her step-son Dickson Tumwebaze to travel to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in India for the kidney transplant.
However the accused’s husband died shortly after the transplant and upon returning to Uganda, Ms Rwigambwa reneged on all the promises she had made to Arinaitwe.
The victims reported to police that recommended a medical examination which confirmed he had no left kidney.
