PMM Girls School 'lesbian' deputy headteacher, lover charged

Lydia Mukoda, the deputy headteacher of PMM Girls School, and her alleged lesbian partner, Martha Naigaga have been charged in court on charges of gross indecency and procurement of gross indecency.

The two alleged lovebirds appeared before the Jinja grade one magistrate, Yafesi Ochieng on Tuesday but declined to plead to the charges levelled against them.

Ochieng remanded the accused persons to Kirinya prisons until March 14 since both the state prosecutors and defense lawyers were not in court.  The two were arrested early this week over their alleged involvement in lesbianism. 

Mukoda, alias "Elly Ogwang," is reported to have been involved in lesbianism activities with Naigaga and others still at large contrary to section 148 of the penal code act.

It provides that "any person who whether in public or private, commits acts of gross indecency with another or procures another to commit any act of gross indecency with him or her or attempts to procure the commission of any such act by any person with himself or herself or with another person, whether in public or private commits the offense and is liable to imprisonment for seven years."

Mukoda was arrested after last week's protests by parents and old students of PMM Girls School, who stormed the school accusing her of recruiting students into lesbianism. Following her arrest, police also arrested her alleged female partner, Naigaga, a timber dealer in Walukuba who reportedly accused her of abandoning her for younger school girls.

Naigaga told police that they have spent five years in a same-sex relationship and were living a quiet life in Walukuba until last year when she received reports of Mukoda's involvement of school girls in lesbian activities.

This prompted a team of detectives to visit three lodges in Buwenge town council, in Jinja district where Mukoda was allegedly engaging in lesbianism with school girls and other women from different walks of life. 

Until the police raid, different lodge owners who spoke to URN on condition of anonymity said that they knew Mukoda as "Mr Elly Ogwang," a prominent male client, and most of them were shocked to see her wearing a skirt for the first time.

On the PMM Girl's School Student Association Facebook page, some old students said they are not surprised by the lesbian allegations because, for years, they knew several students, especially Kenyans who were involved in the acts. They also said Mukoda, who teaches entrepreneurship and commerce, walks like "a male bouncer and behaves like man.