Police in Luwero district have apprehended Jona Ssebamanya, the director of King’s Palace Primary School for allegedly defiling three Primary Leaving Examinations (P.L.E) candidates.
The victims are aged 14, 15, and 17 years.
Sam Twiineamazima, the Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson, explains that on October 25, 2023, the police received a report that six pupils had allegedly been defiled by the suspect.
Subsequently, the police initiated an investigation into the matter.
The police records reveal that these incidents occurred between the months of September 2023 and October 2023 in the areas of Kakookolo electoral village and Kikubajinja village in Luwero Town Council.
According to Twiineamazima, police medical forms confirmed that out of the six pupils initially examined, only three were found to have been sexually abused.
The suspect is currently in custody at Luwero Central Police Station (CPS), and the investigation is ongoing. Twiineamazima also mentioned that there is another suspect in this case, and the police are actively searching for him.
Defilement remains a concern in Greater Luwero Schools.
In October, The Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, the Bishop of Kasana-Luwero Diocese, raised concerns about child molestation in Catholic-founded schools within his jurisdiction, covering Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola Districts.
During a meeting with headteachers from Catholic-founded schools in the diocese, Bishop Mukasa urged vigilance in addressing this issue.
He emphasized the importance of schools nurturing students’ morals rather than undermining them. Similarly, in 2012, Bishop Paul Ssemogerere, the former Bishop of the Kasana-Luwero Diocese, expressed concerns about unreported defilement cases in Catholic Church-supported schools in Luwero.
He called for collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Police to investigate the prevalence of defilement in schools and recommended stricter background checks for teachers in Catholic Church-supported schools to ensure their moral integrity.