Kira Magistrate’s court has sentenced Precious Tumuhirwe to serve 40 years in prison for torturing a 4-year-old girl.
The court today Friday presided over by Shallon Niwaha sentenced the 37-year-old housemaid following her own plea of guilty to torturing the child on December 26, 2024, in Bweyogerere, Kira Municipality in Wakiso district.
While delivering her sentence, the magistrate acknowledged the profound impact of the torture on the victim’s family, noting that parents often struggle to recover from the trauma inflicted upon their children due to the strong emotional bonds they share. Both the victim and the parents, she said suffer life-long harm.
While considering the mitigating factors, the magistrate emphasized that Tumuhirwe had abused the trust placed on her by the child, whom she was supposed to protect. The court recognized that Tumuhirwe has an 8-year-old child of her own, currently in the care of the father, and that she had apologized to the victim’s parents.
However, her actions after the incident, including refusing to open the door despite the neighbours’ intervention and fleeing the scene, demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life.
The magistrate expressed concern about the prevalence of torture in Ugandan communities, despite efforts by the court, human rights defenders, and activists to address the issue. The severity of the child’s injuries and Tumuhirwe’s subsequent actions led the magistrate to conclude that she has a “wild heart” and a “heart of a rotten wild animal in a human body.”
The victim, a daughter of Michael Mwesigwa and his estranged wife Doreen Kansiime, was left in the care of Tumuhirwe by her father, who had gone to work. However, at around 11 pm, the father received a distress call from neighbours, informing him that his child was being tortured by Tumuhirwe.
Despite the neighbours’ pleas, Tumuhirwe refused to open the door, and the father had to rush back home to rescue his daughter. The victim was found lying on the floor, helpless and injured, with blood oozing from her mouth. She was rushed to Nsambya hospital where she was admitted in critical condition.
Tumuhirwe was arrested in Kabale while disembarking from Gateway Bus after fleeing the scene. She was brought back to Kira to face charges. The victim according to evidence submitted before court suffered multiple wounds, including lacerations on the lips, and was classified as having grievous harm. She also experienced physical and psychological trauma, fearing people and crying whenever someone tried to talk to her.
The court heard that investigations in the matter commenced and statements were recorded from witnesses who confirmed that they heard the victim being tortured by the accused before she fled the scene.
The victim was examined by the police’s health services directorate and found to have sustained multiple wounds on the face, hands, left lower back, in the left lower limb and lacerations on the lips and the injuries were classified as grievous harm. She was also found to be traumatized.
The above injuries were also confirmed by Nsambya hospital. She was also found to have suffered physical and psychological trauma. She was fearing people and would cry whenever people tried to talk to her. The hospital recommended that the victim needs counselling to return to her normal state.
