The Deputy Vice Chancellor for finance and administration at Kyambogo University, Dr Lawrence Eron, has been charged with aggravated defilement by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The charges state that on October 12, 2023, in the Wakiso district, Eron committed the offense against a 16-year-old girl who is visually handicapped.
Aggravated defilement carries a maximum sentence of death upon conviction under the penal code.
“Dr Lawrence Eron, on the 12th day of October, 2023 between Kyambogo University and Namugongo Nsawo village, performed a sexual act with (name withheld) aged 16 years with a disability,” says a portion of the allegations.
On October 23, 2023, the suspect was first taken into custody.
However, four days later, his file from the Kira state attorney’s office was returned to the police, along with requests for additional inquiries and DNA testing, even though the police medical report had verified penetration.
The suspect attempted to sabotage the investigation by intimidating the girl and the school with his power and position, which compelled the management of the school to file an appeal with Mrs. Janet Kataha Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports.
Upon being contacted, AIGP Tom Magambo Rwabudongo, the director of CID, verified that a team from CID headquarters had been assigned to assist the territorial Police in finishing the investigations as soon as possible.
After they completed their work, the file was forwarded to the DPP, who approved the accusations made against Dr. Eron.
In light of the aforementioned events, it has been decided to place him under arrest and bring him before the court.
According to other sources, Dr. Eron has been evading capture for the past few days due to fear of being arrested; but, since the file has been approved, every attempt will be made to find him and get him to respond to the accusations.
Magambo reassured the public once more that police will continue to prioritize cases involving sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), irrespective of the suspects’ status.
The university has formed a six-person committee to look into Eron’s accusations.
They therefore suggested his interdiction and ensuing disciplinary hearing on Friday.
Eron is accused of abusing both staff and students at the university, including defiling a visually impaired student from a secondary school in the Mukono district in October of last year.
The report was given to the university’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Eli Katunguka, on Friday by the university secretary, Arthur Katongole.
Katunguka announced on Friday that the report has been received and the committee will review it.
Prof. Katunguka explained that the university’s decision to form a special committee was made by the council, even though the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) was still looking into the case.
“It was the University Council, which expressed interest as well, that suggested we form a committee to look at the topic. After that, there can be internal administrative disciplinary actions,” Prof. Katunguka said.
During the committee hearing, a witness verified that Eron was also connected to several victims’ abuse while serving as the dean of Kyambogo’s Faculty of Special Needs and Rehabilitation.
“This is a big man with friends and people who care about him, and it’s a sensitive matter.” On Tuesday, January 23, the report will be considered in senior management, and we anticipate that the vice-chancellor will provide committee members with specifics,” the insider disclosed.
Eron is charged with defiling a visually impaired student who received funding from Royal Dutch Visio, a national organization that assists students with visual impairments in secondary education.
The organization implements its programs in collaboration with Kyambogo University.
It is noteworthy that the victim attended a conference in Nairobi on October 7, 2023, together with three other students.
We now know that Eron took the four students to Entebbe Airport on October 7, when they took a flight to Nairobi.
Eron, who had parked his car at the airport, offered to take the students to their various locations after the meeting on October 14, the sources disclosed. The students returned to Uganda late at night.
Two girls were allegedly dropped off by Eron at the Namayiba bus park, where they boarded a bus to Lira and stayed in his car with two other girls.
He was meant to drop one of the females off at her mother’s house in Namugongo, Kira, Wakiso district, but instead, he stayed with the girl who was sitting in the front passenger seat in Kyambogo.
The girl provided evidence that when he asked for water on the way to Namugongo, Eron allegedly gave her a bottle that was allegedly tainted with something.
The sixteen-year-old claims that when she woke up, she was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle.
Dr. Eron had molested her and taken her underwear off.
According to reports, he gave the victim a medication to consume that was thought to be a contraceptive and requested her to keep it a secret.
According to reports, the girl went to her school and confided in her teacher, who then informed the administration of the situation.
After that, she was brought to the Kisoga Police Station, and the Mukono Police Station was notified of the situation.
Speaking under anonymity, a teacher at the school attested to the fact that the police had recorded multiple accounts.
After that, a detective at Mukono submitted the case file to Jinja Road Police Station, claiming they had no jurisdiction.
Investigations are ongoing, as Kyambogo stated on October 31, 2023: “The institution has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and violence, even in the absence of conclusive evidence.
“The management will take all required measures to deal with this type of egregious misbehaviour.
“The University’s human resource regulations on egregious misconduct will apply if the official is judged to have committed the claimed acts.”