A Ugandan woman has been sentenced to jail for two years for forcefully feeding her stepdaughter menstrual blood. The woman, Annet Namata, had pleaded guilty to the charge and asked for leniency on the grounds that she was a mother of three children, the newspaper reports.
The Mukono Grade One Magistrate, Patience Koburunga handed, Annet Namata the two-year-jail term on Thursday afternoon on her own plea of guilty.
In her judgment, M Koburunga noted that she had reduced Namata’s sentence from seven to two years because she pleaded guilty saving court time and asked for leniency on grounds that she is a mother of three children.
Namata pleaded guilty on August 7, 2019, during the mention of her case. However, some of the residents and Namata’s husband, Yunus Lungu are not contented with the judgment.
According to Daily Monitor Newspaper, Mr Lungu said he wished Namata would have got a longer jail term.
“Let her serve her time and hopefully she may learn her lesson,” he added.
Ms Susan Mayanja, the Kitega Village Women Secretary, said although justice has been served, the sentence was lenient.
“That sentence will only encourage other women to do the same thing knowing their sentences will be heavy light,” she said.
She advised women to treat their stepchildren with love since they don’t know what the future holds.
Court heard that on June 6, 2019 while at her marital home in Kitega village, Namata served her stepdaughter food mixed with her menstrual blood contrary to Section 171 of the penal code.
Its provides that “Any person who unlawfully or negligently does any act which is and which he or she knows or has reason to believe to be likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”
