Sunatimes.com - The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Kireka is holding three suspects on allegations of attempting to buy a two-month-old baby for a suspected South Sudanese trafficker in Kampala.
The suspects are Gerald Akankwasa, a Wakiso based medical doctor, Kenneth Kayondo and Christine Nambi. Police detectives picked up the trio from Royale Motel in the city suburbs of Nalukolongo. Upon interrogation, the suspects revealed to police that they were hired by a South Sudanese woman identified as Monika Akello.
One of the detectives told URN that they raided the motel following a tip-off by a neighbour of one of the suspects indicating that some people were looking for a child to buy at $5000 from Nansana and other areas.
"After receiving this information, we worked with Make a Child Smile, a nongovernmental organization and laid a trap. We informed them that there was someone who had a child, so they met us at this hotel in Nalukolongo together with the parent’s child and pulled the money to pay that is how we arrested them,” the officer said.
Police also impounded two motor vehicles registration numbers UBG443F and UBG107D, which the suspects were using. They also recovered $17,500 from the vehicle. The suspects informed police that they were buying the child for their client Akello who had spent two weeks in Buziga looking for a child to adapt.
However, Akello had fled from her apartments in Buziga by the time police arrived.
"We’re still looking for this woman to establish exactly why she was buying a baby, but we suspect she could have either deceived someone of being pregnant for him or the child was meant for ritual sacrifices. She is still on the run but we shall get her,” the detective said.
This comes at a time when police and the Directorate of Citizenship and immigration control have doubled efforts to fight child trafficking that is on the rise. It’s estimated that close to 25 million people across the globe are trafficked every year.
Uganda: 3 arrested for trafficking 2-month-old baby at $5000 in Kampala
Sunatimes.com - The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Kireka is holding three suspects on allegations of attempting to buy a two-month-old baby for a suspected South Sudanese trafficker in Kampala. The suspects are Gerald Akankwasa, a Wakiso based m