Uganda Police in Masindi have in custody Nicholas Kizza Ssentamu, 38, headteacher of Kijunjubwa Primary School Kijunjubwa Sub-county on allegations of defiling three pupils.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police spokesperson, said Mr Ssentamu was arrested on Tuesday after parents reported the matter to district authorities.
According to Gerald Muhumuza, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson, a section of teachers at the school had learnt of Mr Ssentamu’s acts of defiling pupils but feared to report.
“The issue reached the district authorities, we met some teachers asking if they were aware of the same, many confirmed that he has been dealing with pupils so much but feared that reporting would cause more chaos and witch-hunt at their job stations,” Hakiza said.
“Our appeal is to all teachers and parents, once you learn such kind of ill-mannered school heads report and we will not reveal your identity so that the law can take it’s course.”
Mansur Bwohe, the Kijunjubwa subcounty chairman, wondered how a person in the character of a headteacher supposed to serve as an example would get to young girls and start using them sexually when he is even married.
“We don’t need such characters in society, our appeal is for police to investigate this case and ensure that the defiled girls can get justice,” Mr Bwohe said.
“Imagine, government gives you a job to head a school and all you can do it to defile people’s daughters and later threaten that if they report to their parents you will dismiss them.”
It is said that a number of girls could not withstand his habit anymore and revealed the matter to their parents.
Hakiza said available information at the police indicates that two of the defiled girls are aged 14 while the other is aged 13 years.
“The headteacher is currently detained at the Masindi Central Police Station and he will be arraigned before the court to be charged with aggravated defilement,” Hakiza said.
In October 2022, Masindi Police arrested Yosea Kiiza, the headteacher of St Kizito Primary School Murro, on accusations of defiling a 15-year-old Primary Seven pupil at his school.
Detectives rushed to the school after the girl’s father opened a defilement case against the headteacher.
According to the information gathered then, the headteacher had been defiling the teenager for some time not until the minor revealed the matter to the school matron.
The matron informed the administration, which also notified the minor’s father.
Upon interrogation by police, the minor confessed that she had severally been defiled by her headteacher.
Police subjected the girl to a medical examination, which confirmed she had been defiled.
