The case involving Detective Superintendent of Police, Gilbert Arinaitwe Bwana, accused of sexually trafficking his 23-year-old housemaid, is on the brink of dismissal due to the unavailability of state witnesses.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has issued a three-week ultimatum to the Director of Public Prosecutions, urging the production of witnesses or the dismissal of the case at the next hearing scheduled for February 7, citing a lack of evidence.
The ultimatum was prompted by the prosecution, led by Judith Nyamwiza, informing the court that witnesses could not be reached through their telephone contacts.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi ruled that if Arinaitwe committed any crime, the state should be prepared to prosecute him. Noting that the accused officer, currently on interdiction and receiving half pay, had been charged on August 10, 2023, he emphasized the absence of witnesses testifying against him for five months.
Arinaitwe faces charges of Aggravated Trafficking in Persons, with allegations that he recruited, transported, and harbored his 23-year-old housemaid for sexual exploitation on June 23, 2023, from his home in Nalumunye-Bandwe, Kyengera Town Council.
Police’s preliminary investigations revealed that the victim reported being raped more than seven times, confined with minimal or no food, and not paid a salary. The friend of the victim contacted the local defense secretary, who assisted in rescuing her and filing a formal report at Nateete police station. The victim is currently under the care of a Non-Governmental Organization.
The charge of aggravated trafficking in persons carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Arinaitwe gained public attention in 2011 during the Walk to Work protest against escalating fuel prices. He pepper-sprayed the then-President of the Forum for Democratic Change Party, Dr. Kizza Besigye, after smashing the window of his car with a pistol at Mulago roundabout in Kampala City.
