Two Kyerwa residents handed life sentence for raping minors

BUKOBA: TWO residents from Kyerwa District in Kagera Region have been sentenced to life imprisonment after they were convicted of raping minors.

The conviction comes amid reports, indicating a sharp rise in cases related to violence against children across the country.

State Attorney Dikson Makoro identified the convicts as Festo Mbeu (42) a nursery teacher at Kaitambura village who was convicted of raping an eight-year-old girl and Vicent Warundu (24), a boda boda rider who was convicted of raping a nine-year old girl.

Mr Makoro told the court during hearing of the criminal case that Mbeu committed the offence on July 22, last year when he raped the girl at the school after school hours while Warundu committed the offence on August 3, last year.

Kyerwa District Resident Magistrate Allen Ifunya noted that the prosecution had proved the cases beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced both of them to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, parental negligence has been cited as among factors that fuel acts of violence against children.

Other factors include outdated disbeliefs connected to acquiring quick wealth and over drinking habits among community members.

Kagera Regional Officerin-charge from the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) office, Ms Ajuaye Bilishanga made the remarks recently, saying: “oint efforts are still needed from all stakeholders to safeguard the welfare of children. Some of the parents have neglected their duty and instead leave their children, some of them still at a very young age, to child carers. This has negative impact as some of the children were mistreated others raped.”

According to Ms Bilishanga, broken marriages has also led significant numbers of children being neglected forcing some of them to go begging on streets.

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“We must all take necessary actions to safeguard the welfare of the children,” she emphasized.

She called upon community members to join hands with the government to ensure that the children get proper upbringing including the right to education and healthcare.

From January to September 30th last year, Kagera police reported a total of 533 cases related to genderbased violence.

Head of the Gender Desk at the Kagera Regional Police Station, Assistant Inspector of Police Suzan Kamwaga noted that approximately 230 of these cases were specifically related to rape.

“Tanzania has one of the youngest populations in the world and we are witnessing a troubling increase in gender-based violence. To tackle these challenges, we need concerted efforts from all stakeholders to address violence against children,” she said.

Ms Kamwaga urged families to take proactive steps to ensure the welfare of children, emphasizing the importance of proper upbringing and education.

She pointed out that many children face neglect, leading to street begging, school dropouts and in some cases, sexual assault. Investigations revealed that a significant number of perpetrators are relatives or neighbors.

“Studies indicate that 60 per cent of violence against children occurs at home, often perpetrated by family members. The greatest challenge in addressing this issue is the silence surrounding it and the tendency to resolve cases privately within families,” she added