High court confirms defilement, child trafficking charges against Bukwo LC V chairperson 

The High court in Kampala has confirmed charges of aggravated defilement and child trafficking against jailed Bukwo district LC V chairperson, Julius Moses Chelimo.

Justice Alice Komuhangi Khaukha confirmed the three charges against him and referred his case file to a panel of three justices for trial, acknowledging the prosecution’s evidence as sufficient to warrant further proceedings.

The prosecution alleges that Chelimo, while serving as the LC V chairman of Bukwo district, engaged in a love affair with a 15-year-old student from Sebei College Tegeres in Bukwo, enticing her with material goods and causing her to abandon school and run away from her parents. 

He purportedly took her to various locations in Bukwo district, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with her. Upon the victim’s return and disclosure of the events to her parents, Chelimo allegedly harboured her in Budaka to prevent her from reuniting with her family.

Chelimo denies the charges, asserting that they are politically motivated. However, justice Komuhangi ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution, including the victim’s birth certificate and corroborating documents, sufficiently demonstrated that she was underage at the time of the alleged offences. 

In her ruling on confirmation of charges, Komuhangi said the victim was 15 years of age in 2021 and 16 years of age in 2022 given the prosecution’s evidence of a birth certificate which shows that the victim was born on September 29, 2006.

“This is corroborated by police form 3A forensic report from Mbale General Clinic Laboratory and Forensic Medicines, primary leaving Examinations (PLE) results slip which also indicates the date of birth as 29th September 2006 which all show that at the time of sexual exploitation, the victim was below the age of 18 years,” said Komuhangi. 

“Further, the disclosed evidence also shows that the accused transported and harboured the victim at the home of one Chiplangat Edward in Kapsarur sub-county in Bukwo district where he also had sex with her several times,” added Komuhangi.

The judge relied on the statement of the victim who narrated that she was picked by Chelimo and taken to his home in Bukwo district and that he could keep her at his sister’s home in Budaka though she added that most times, the victim was always with her tormentor in his home in Bukwo and he could not allow her to go back to her parents.

The judge further observed that it is true that the victim stated in her statement that she had a boyfriend called Amidu Anthony with whom she stayed in Kampala and Entebbe for some weeks and that it is also true that she left the home of Amidu at the request of Chelimo. 

“However, she also revealed that the accused was also her boyfriend and when he picked her up from Kampala, he spent a night with her in Mbale in a hotel room and the two shared a bed,” added Komuhangi.

The Electoral Commission maintains that Chelimo is still the legitimate LC V chairperson of Bukwo district, despite attempts by the Local Government minister, Raphael Magyezi, to install a new LC V chairperson, Merisa Cheptegei, in November 2022.

Chelimo had previously resigned on October 24, 2022, citing personal reasons. He has been on remand since 2022 having been denied bail on different occasions.