‘Besigye tormentor’ Arinaitwe has human trafficking case to answer, court rules

The High court has upheld the charge of aggravated trafficking in persons against police officer, Gilbert Arinaitwe Bwana.

Arinaitwe who is currently out on bail gained notoriety for smashing the windows of opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye’s vehicle and pepper-spraying his eyes at close range during a protest at the Mulago roundabout in Kampala during the 2011 walk-to-work protests. In 2015, he was also dragged to court over allegations of domestic violence.

Last week, the International Crimes Division (ICD) presided over by justice Dr Andrew Bashaija ruled that the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence to try Arinaitwe. Bashaija referenced sections three and four of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, which states that anyone who recruits, transports, or receives a person through threat, force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, or vulnerability commits the offence of aggravated trafficking.

The victim from Mbarara worked as Arinaitwe’s housemaid for a month, a fact confirmed by Arinaitwe himself in court. However, upon arrival, the prosecutors allege that she was forced into unprotected sex at gunpoint.

The judge added that Arinaitwe’s own statements, in addition to those of the victim, place him squarely at the scene of the crime. He noted that the evidence of the victim is well-corroborated by medical and other scientific expert evidence.

Justice Bashaija also referenced a letter from the police’s internal affairs directorate which confirmed that Arinaitwe is a police officer thus satisfying a key element of the offense and confirming his role as a public officer or law enforcement officer. 

The judge indicated that the letter stated that Arinaitwe was appointed as a superintendent of police (SP) on July 6, 2022. Accordingly, Bashaija emphasized that the evidence presented raises substantial grounds to believe that Arinaitwe committed the offence. He said that in sexual offence cases, judges must be cautious not to rely solely on the victim’s uncorroborated evidence. However, in this case, the victim’s allegations were corroborated by medical evidence, which showed an old ruptured hymen, bruising, and inflammation.

According to police investigations, the victim intimated to her friend how she had been raped more than seven times and confined with no or little food at all on top of not being paid a salary. As a result, the investigations show that the friend contacted the area’s local defense secretary who moved to rescue the victim from Arinaitwe’s home and accompanied her to make a formal report at Nateete police station.

The victim is currently under the care of a non-governmental organization. Once found guilty, the maximum sentence for aggravated trafficking in person is spending the remaining part of your natural life in prison.