Shamin Daizy Akello, a 22-year-old woman from Bedkuwengi Cell, Oturgang ward Paidha Town Council Zombo District survived being lynched by angry residents after she reportedly aborted a two months old child and faked a pregnancy for nearly Six months.
According to Wilson Oaikani, The general secretary of Local Council 1 Bedkuwedu cell, who is also the chairperson health unit management committee for Paidha Health Centre III, Akello who used to look pregnant in the village claimed that she was experiencing labour pain and was taken to Paidha health centre III, From there, nurses wanted to work on her but she refused to be touched, she was immediately referred to Nyapea hospital where she also refused for the doctors to touch her belly yet she was claiming to be experiencing labour pain. After serious examination, the suspicious medical workers discovered that the lady was wrapping pieces of clothing in her belly. She was brought back home in Paidha town where angry residents from her village ganged up to attack her but local leaders protected her.
Upon interrogation, Oaikani said the lady revealed that she conceived in April but procured an abortion in June this year through the help of a traditional birth attendant in Nebbi Municipality.
” This lady was here in our village with her husband and we thought she was pregnant, On Sunday, she claimed she was experiencing labour pain and when she was rushed to Paidha health centre III, she refused to the nurses not to touch her and they referred her to Nyapea hospital where she also repeated the same thing of not allowing doctors to touch her, ” Oaikani told this Publication whilst at Paidha central police station where they brought the lady with the help of security operatives after highly charged mob attempted to attack her.
Oaikani added ” Upon discovering that the lady was just wrapping pieces of clothing in her belly, the nurses alerted her relatives who went to attend to her and they immediately brought her back home. When we briefly asked her, she confessed that she was helped to procure an abortion by a traditional birth attendant in Nebbi Municipality ”
The Shocked husband David Mungujakisa said ” I got married to the lady in February this year and it’s true That my wife was expecting. She wouldn’t allow me conjugal rights and I used to take it easy. for the past six months since she conceived, she wouldn’t allow me to touch her and I was okay with it thinking everything was okay”.
Charles Kizza, The village youth chairperson explained that their intervention saved the suspect life from the charged residents.
” Had it not been for our intervention, the highly charged mob would have killed that woman because what she did was totally wrong. But I also wonder how a man can stay with a lady faking pregnancy for such a long period of time ” Kizza noted.
Hundreds of Town dwellers stormed Paidha Central Police Station to witness the suspect who was rescued by local leaders and Police.
The assistant community development officer for Paidha Town Council Christopher Nyodober was with Police officers to go and pick up the woman. He told this Publication whilst at Paidha Central police station that the evidence he saw pinned the suspect.
“Truly that lady faked the pregnancy because whilst picking her up with police, all the evidence of her pieces of clothes was clear. She is inside there recording statements with police together with the husband ” Nyodober said.
By press time, police were recording statements from the woman, her husband and village leaders at Paidha central police station.
In a related incident, a lady was early this year arrested in Nyapea Sub-county and paraded to Nyapea Police Post after she reportedly procured an abortion and was faking pregnancy to solicit money for upkeep from the husband who was then staying in Kampala city.
Recent abortion cases.
Last year in Pakadha Parish Abanga sub-county, A pupil of Pakadha Primary School succumbed to abortion after her friends reportedly deceived her into taking a local concoction to procure an abortion.
Last month, A lady died in Paidha Town Council after reportedly procuring an abortion.
What the law say
The Penal Code of 1950 states in Section 141, “Attempts to procure abortion. Any person who, with intent to procure the miscarriage of a woman whether she is or is not with child, unlawfully administers to her or causes her to take any poison or other noxious thing, or uses any force of any kind, or uses any other means, commits a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.
