Ms. Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecution has mandated that Uganda Police Detective Gilbert Arinaitwe Bwana face trial in the High Court Criminal Division on charges of aggravated human trafficking.
The official documents required to send Arinaitwe to trial were submitted to Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi at Buganda Road Court by senior State Attorney Ivan Kyazze, indicating that the investigation phase has been concluded.
Chief Magistrate Kayizzi has ordered that Arinaitwe appear before the High Court Criminal Division on the last Thursday of each month, beginning on July 25, 2024.
Gilbert Arinaitwe's initial court appearance occurred on August 10, 2023, where he was released on bail set at two million shillings. The charges against him involve the alleged sexual exploitation of his housemaid.
Superintendent of Police Arinaitwe gained notoriety in 2011 when he was seen using a hammer to break the rear windshield of a vehicle belonging to former Forum For Democratic Chang (FDC) presidential candidate Dr. Kiiza Besigye, before spraying Besigye's eyes with pepper spray at Mulago Roundabout.
Arinaitwe, who is based at the Crime Intelligence Headquarters, is accused of recruiting, transporting, and harboring a 23-year-old woman named Joan Namukasa for sexual exploitation purposes. According to the prosecution, on June 23, 2023, at his residence in Nalumunye-Bandwe, located in Kyengera Town Council, Arinaitwe employed various forms of deceit, threats, and abuse of power to coerce Namukasa into involuntary servitude or debt bondage. These actions are in violation of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2009.
The details of the case suggest that Arinaitwe used manipulation and intimidation to control the victim, forcing her into conditions of exploitation against her will. The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, which aims to combat such human rights abuses, provides the legal framework under which Arinaitwe is being prosecuted.
The trial is set to address these serious allegations, with the High Court Criminal Division tasked with determining the validity of the charges and the extent of Arinaitwe's involvement in the purported crimes. The case highlights ongoing issues related to human trafficking and exploitation, drawing attention to the need for rigorous enforcement of laws designed to protect vulnerable individuals from such abuses.
As the trial progresses, further scrutiny will be placed on the actions of Arinaitwe and the judicial process, with the outcome likely to have significant implications for the enforcement of anti-trafficking legislation in Uganda. How time runs by soo fast on people.
