Law should apply to all, not section of individuals

Carol N Mukisa  

What you need to know:

  • Carol Mukisa says Society has been fashioned to blame and crucify women for any sexual-related decadency.  

On many occasions, we have seen and watched lot of money ‘disappearing’ from big offices. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has  exposed more painful corruption cases. A thing one would compare with a scenario of eating food meant for the sick! How disheartening, how shameful! 

The four top officials in the Office of the Prime Minster (OPM) accused of fraudulent practices in connection with the procurement of relief food for people affected by Covid-19 lockdown were sent to the Anti-corruption Court for trial and that how far we can go as far as the ‘big fish’ facing the law is concerned. 

This is among the many cases of crime that always disappear in thin air. But is this the same for the ‘chicken thief’! One wonders whether the law in Uganda is gender and social status selective! 

How many times have we seen ‘big’ people commit crime with impunity and the cases just vanish into thin air! Perhaps because their names and pockets are too big for the courts to handle! Should one ask why the crime rate in the country is far from reducing! 

And yes, its on this ground that those who feel they can buy justice off the shelf continue to indulge in immoral and crime tendencies well knowing they will not face the law. 

About two weeks ago, media was awash with the ‘Sex party scandal that occurred at Tower Guest House in Kireka. A thing that led to a Grade One Magistrate, Joan Aciro of Kira Chief Magistrate Court to convict a group of 11 on a number of counts, including spreading infectious diseases and indecent practices. 

Of the 11, there was only one man and the rest were women, including a breastfeeding mother. In all this, we never a traced the owners of the bar. 
It was alleged that the sex party was advertised earlier and so the surrounding community knew about it, hence the area local leadership equally liable! One person on social media asked, was this ‘same sex’ party! And well, were these women ‘parting’ alone! Where are the men? 

Society has been fashioned to blame and crucify women for any sexual-related decadency in society! 

According to the Aids Research and Treatment study carried out in 2016 among a sample of female sex workers in Kampala, 49 per cent were reported to have been raped at least once. Sex work is associated with risk factors, including substance use, alcohol, adverse childhood experience, including previously being sexually or physically abused and parental negligence. 

Unfortunately, many men who crucify young women over prostitution, are the same that use their ‘service’ when no one is seeing! I Corinthians 6:16 says, 
‘Do you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with him in spirit!’ So, this hypocrisy should stop because both parties are not safe either! Is putting  the young women behind bars a solution to the problem? 

The social economic push factors that lead women to engage in prostitution have to be looked into! Why would a breastfeeding mother indulge in prostitution? Where is the father of that child? 

Where are the parents of the young women? Don’t we need to offer better means of mitigating such vices right from the grassroots so that they do not re occur! Why does government continued to use harsh means of trying to solve the problem! 

Better means of addressing such social related problems should be devised! Otherwise, we shall be like swallowing Panadol to treat cancer! 
And if the law is to take its course, then it should apply to and not just for some people. This will paint a good picture and revive people’s trust in the legal and justice system of the country. 

Consequently, this may lead to a substantial reduction in the rate of crime  in the country.

Ms Carol Nyangoma Mukisa is a social analyst & CEO, 
Warm Hearts Foundation. [email protected]