A man who has identified himself as, Amos Betungura, has shocked police after showing up claiming fatherhood of 19 children who were rescued at the weekend and suspected to have been trafficked from various parts of the country.
The children aged between one and six years were recovered from Nkoowe village, Kaliti parish, Mend Sub-county, in Wakiso district. The children were reportedly being transported to Mbarara district which is the ancestral home of Betungura who has since described himself as a former pastor. Photo courtesy of rescued children
“I am the father of those children. I fathered them from my former church members. I told them to bring my children and they were staying together in one home. I didn’t know that they were being mistreated,” Betungura told police.
Some of the children had visible torture marks on their bodies a sign that they were being whipped by caretakers. Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga and his Kampala counterpart Patrick Onyango have said that DNA samples will be taken from Betungura and all 19 children.
“The tests will be run against the samples picked from the children, to determine whether they match or not. The children, with the help of the probation officer and the Child and Family Police Unit in Wakiso, are being taken care of in a shelter home,” Enanga said.
At first, police had rescued 17 children but when they visited the home where they were staying, they noticed that two others had been left behind. Police were alerted by locals who saw a woman struggling to control the children at a taxi stage and many of them were very young with torture marks on their bodies.
Onyango said they so far have six suspects in custody including Amos Betungura. Other suspects are Carolina Nayebare, Dina Ashaba, Betty Tusasirwe, Junick Komuhangi and one Loy. Betungura said his woes which have made his children suffer started with marital problems that resulted from the closure of his church during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
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“After his church was closed during the first Covid-19 lockdown, he decided to place his children under the care of some of his relatives, after failing to provide for them in terms of feeding, school, medication and clothing,” Onyango said.
Police recovered exhibits of broken sticks, burnt plastics, clothes and beddings from the rented premises at Nkoowe village. Police have warned that if they establish that Betungura gave false and misleading information to the police to protect himself or someone else, he will be charged with giving false information and obstruction of justice.
“But if it is established that he is truly the biological father, to the 17 children, we shall charge him with failure to provide basic necessities to his children and their mothers,” Enanga said.