A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Masaka has convicted and sentenced a woman to 35 years in prison for defecating on an infant and feeding it her faeces and urine.
Stella Namwanje, a resident of Binnyonyi A village in Nyendo Mukungwe Division, recorded a video showing herself defecating on a 10-month-old baby. The prosecution, led by George Kalinaki, told the court that on November 4, Namwanje was captured in a viral video feeding her friend’s child faeces. Mr. Kalinaki stated that after receiving the video, neighbors reported the matter to authorities, leading to the convict’s arrest.
The state further noted that the child was examined and found with healing wounds around his left eye, indicating that the convict had tortured him while feeding him her faeces.
According to Mr. Kalinaki, Namwanje, 34, was also found to be HIV-positive, prompting authorities to put the baby on PrEP to prevent potential transmission, as her motives remained unclear.
Mr. Kalinaki argued that due to the nature of the crime against the innocent child, Namwanje deserved life imprisonment. “Innocent children need to be protected. The sentence given to the convict should send a message to the public that there is no room for the torture of innocent children. So, Your Worship, if not a life sentence, we request at least a minimum of 30 years,” the prosecution said in court.
However, the defense lawyer asked the Chief Magistrate for a lenient sentence, noting that Namwanje had pleaded guilty and this was her first offense.
Namwanje, who was convicted based on her guilty plea, asked for forgiveness, saying she did not understand what had come over her. “Your Worship, I ask that you forgive me for my actions, and I pray that you give me a sentence that reflects what I did,” Namwanje said.
Delivering his ruling, Masaka Chief Magistrate Aloysius Natwijuka described Namwanje’s actions as unfit for society. “The actions of the convict are grave, and she does not deserve leniency,” the magistrate said. “There is a need to protect innocent souls from people like Namwanje. There are many others who harm innocent children but go unpunished.”
However, Natwijuka acknowledged that this was Namwanje’s first offense and that she had not wasted the court’s time. “I believe she deserves a second chance once she serves her sentence. Therefore, I sentence her to 35 years in prison.”
The victim’s mother, Olivious Mbabazi, who was not in court at the time of the ruling, expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict over the phone. She and her neighbors felt the offender deserved the death penalty.
