MUGABE R
Traders and the heads of Buhandagazi’s trading hub in Nyabitete Parish, Buyanja Sub County, Rukungiri District are fighting for justice for their young daughter, who is believed to have been forced into a marriage with her biological father.
The accused is Zaverio Mugisha, a middle-aged man who has since remarried and lives in Nyakahandagazi Cell, Bugongi Parish, Nyakitunda Sub County, Isingiro District.
He is accused of coercing his 13-year-old biological daughter into a sexual relationship. It is claimed that Mugisha brought his daughter to Buhandagazi Trading Center in 2023 to work as a bricklayer. However, it was later discovered that he had been having a sexual relationship with her, which led the traders to force her to return home in Isingiro District.
It is acknowledged that the two have been living in separate rooms, but Mugisha managed to gain access to his daughter’s room, which was locked from the outside, giving him the ability to enter at night and engage in sexual activities with her. On October 26, 2024, the victim finally came forward to the landlady, Hope Komuhangi, a clinic service provider at the trading center, seeking help.
Komuhangi reported the incident to the local leaders and the police, who then took the case and recorded it as a sexual abuse case.
Wilson Bahamire Salongo, the head of Buhandagazi Cell, described the incident as unfortunate and suggested that the accused should be expelled.
Hope Komuhangi, the landlady and clinic service provider, reiterated the victim’s account of the abuse, highlighting the need for action and the positive medical examination results from the Rukungiri Police Station medical facility.
Mary Butendere, the parish woman councilor, expressed her concern for the victim’s well-being and called for measures to prevent such incidents, including the need for strict punishment and separation of the victim and the accused.
Charles Karahukayo, the parish male councilor, blamed the rise in sexual abuse cases on women’s alcoholism and supported legal action against the accused, noting that lenient punishment could lead to vigilante justice.
Afande Appolo Kyangungu, the Rukungiri District Police Chief, confirmed that Mugisha would be appearing in court today, November 11, 2024.
