Africa-Press – Uganda. City Hall Court in Kampala last Friday charged and remanded 25 women, all from Karamoja Sub-region, for allegedly aiding children to beg on Kampala streets.
The women, who appeared before court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Jane Tibagonzeka, were sent to Luzira prison since there was no language interpreter as the suspects only understood Ateso, Luo or Ngakarimojong languages.
The magistrate remanded them until September 2 when a court interpreter is expected to have been secured.
The group was arrested on August 18 on allegations of sending their children to public places, specifically on Kampala streets, which contradicts the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Child Protection Ordinance of 2022, passed about two months ago.
At court, many of the 25 women were carrying children.
Earlier during the court session, four of the women voluntarily pleaded guilty to the offence and were in turn sentenced to two months imprisonment.
Ms Dorothy Kisaka, the executive director of KCCA, said Kampala has more than 1,000 children begging on streets.
She added that they have occasionally had rescue operations, with some of them being taken to rehabilitation centres at Koblin, Masulita and Naguru.
Ms Kisaka said the court action was intended to send a stern warning to those behind the vice.
New ordinance
KCCA in June passed a Children’s Protection Ordnance, which by law makes it punishable for one to send children to solicit money on streets.
The law criminalises children loitering in public places, begging or soliciting, vending or hawking and bans the sale of alcohol and drugs to children. Further, the law demands that anybody who contravenes the law will be imprisoned for six months or pay a fine of two currency points (about Shs40,000). A currency point is equivalent to Shs20,000. Core to the Ordinance is that it bans children from being engaged in labour activities such as quarrying, collection and sell of scrap, food vending, hawking general merchandise, bar or restaurant attendance. The law also prohibits employment of children as a domestic servant; working in a kitchen of a restaurant and any work that prohibits a child from attending basic educational programmes.
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