By Hanning Mbabazi
Mukono: Court In Mukono presided over by Grade I Magistrate Patience Koburunga has on Wednesday, August 7, remanded Ms. Annet Namata alleged to have forcefully fed her 13-year-old stepdaughter food that was mixed with her menstrual blood.
The Magistrate who read out charges against her said, she is accused of causing a disease. “You are accused of feeding your 13-year-old step daughter Agnes Naava with food mixed with your menstrual blood knowing it could cause her a disease thus you’ve been remanded to Kauga prison for two weeks as investigations into the matter take shape.”
It is alleged that Namata committed the crime on June 6 and was subsequently taken to Police by her husband Yunus Lungu who said that he learnt about the shocking incident from his neighbours who intervened to save the teenager’s life when they saw her vomiting on the veranda after the suspect had left to go and trap grasshoppers.
She later went into hiding after securing a police bond. However, Police tracked her down and rearrested Namata from Katosi landing site where she had sought refuge
“After being released on police bond, she was supposed to keep on reporting at the police on specified dates but she instead went into hiding,” Said Luke Owesigire the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Spokesperson.
Although Namata pleaded not guilty in court on 7 July, Lungu had earlier told police that her wife pleaded guilty to accusations before the Kitega Women council where she also apologized and pleaded for pardon.
In a video clip recorded during the local council meeting, Namata confessed to the crime saying she was tempted and acted out of anger because of the preferential care that her husband was giving to the child.
She told the women council that she had been ill-advised by her friends to feed the minor with menstrual blood in order to turn her into a lunatic.
According to medical research, menstrual flow contains discharge, cervical mucus, and uterine tissue, which makes it a favorable environment for bacteria and blood-borne diseases such as HIV.
Medics equally state that blood in any form is toxic when ingested, because the body has difficulty in excreting excess iron contained in the blood.
