NATIONAL NEWS NEW VISION, Tuesday, September 1, 2015 5 14% of refugee DNA test results show women sexually abused — report UNRA paid fake cousins By Vision Report A study by the Offi ce of the Prime Minister While appearing before the among individuals, where they February, 4, 2014, the three, who (OPM), has revealed that refugees in commission recently, the trio were able to get the ‘Y-Haplotype’ were largely known as bricklayers, Uganda enjoy better access to social claimed to have inherited the land for each of them. received sh4.1b on their joint services than the host communities, which from their grandfather. He stressed that if the three were account in Diamond Trust Bank. has escalated confl icts, including sexual The suspects were later handed cousin, they would have had the This was in compensation for a 47- violence. over to senior Police detectives same Y-Haplotype, which was not acre piece of land in Nakigalala, The study discovered that 14% of refugee led by Beata Chelimo. They were the case. Kajjansi Central Forest Reserve women get raped or sexually harassed by taken to the Government Analytical “If the three were cousins, they ,along the 53km Entebbe-Kampala men from host communities as they go to Laboratory at Wandegeya for a are supposed to share the same Expressway project. collect fi rewood and food. test to establish their paternal Y-Haplotype. We get this from our The three, who are said to have The study, funded by the United Nations relationship. fathers who also get it from our withdrawn the money in just four High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Testifying before the commission grandfathers. When we tried to days, later did not submit documents to the tune of sh180m, was conducted by yesterday, the principal government compare whether the three share to prove their ownership of the the Makerere University department of analyst, who is also the head of the same Haplotype, the analysis said land when the commission religion and peace studies. DNA at the Government laboratory, showed they never shared it. This summoned them. Besides ratifying international and Geoffrey Onen, said all tests were means they are not related,” Onen During questioning, regional instruments protecting refugees, By Jeff Andrew Lule carried out as requested by the explained. Kamoga failed to the report praises Uganda for ‘excellent commission. He said, however, Earlier submission to the mention how much laws and policies governing refugees’. The team investigating the alleged there were no matches among the commission revealed that on of the said land he “It was noted that indeed, there is a certain fraud in the Uganda National Roads three men. shared, but insisted degree of better service provision to the Authority (UNRA), was astonished “The three came to the laboratory that it was stated in refugees, in comparison to the nationals in yesterday after DNA results for where we sampled them and got his grandfather’s the indigenous communities, whereby the the three landlords claiming to be their DNA profi les. In this case, will, a portion of proportion of service provision is 70:30% ‘cousins’, indicated that they were when we tried to compare the which he claimed respectively,” the report reads. not related. The three were paid analysis, we realised they were not his father inherited The services, including medical, food, sh4.1b in compensation. the same,” he and passed it over water and education, are provided to the The commission, led by Justice noted. to him when he refugees by the Government through the Catherine Bamugemereire, ordered O n e n died. OPM, UNHCR and other charity agencies. for a DNA test to prove whether the said they Dr. Narcisio Bangirana, the co-ordinator three were blood relatives — fi rst carried out of the project, presented the fi ndings at cousins. a paternal Fairway Hotel in Kampala last week. The three are Muhammad lineage used The report cites Ayilo camp in Adjumani Kamoga, Richard Ssempagala and to trace male district, where women complained of Hussein Mugumya. relationships persistent sexual harassment from men. The order was issued after the A woman in Tika I Rhino Camp, Arua, was deputy lead counsel, Mary Kutesa, raped by a man from the host community, asked for a DNA test to be carried as she went out to look for food. out after Kamoga insisted they were According to the report, women also cousins. expressed concern about the nature of The three claim to be landlords of houses in the settlements, which have no the acquired land in a forest reserve doors, a situation that exposes many single in Kajjansi, which they allegedly Onen (right), takes an oath during the UNRA probe before handing over the DNA results for the land mothers and widows to rape. used to ‘defraud’ UNRA of sh4.1b suspects. Left is Rachael Nairuba, the clerk to the commission of inquiry. Photo by Godfrey Kimono in compensation. BETWEEN THE LINES: The study was conducted among 1,000 refugees in the settlements of Arua, Adjumani and Kiryandongo Police issue security guidelines to schools districts between September and December 2014. By Simon Masaba media at the Police headquarters in pupils. A Police team will move expert, said by keeping schools Naguru, Kampala, yesterday. around schools while carrying out safe, the Government would be Uganda has over 480,000 refugees, As various schools prepare to open Enanga said armed, but non- inspections. The exercise will cut providing a favourable learning including internally displaced persons and for the third term on September uniformed operatives will be across all academic institutions in environment for students. foreigners from Burundi, South Sudan and 7, the Police have issued stringent deployed at some terrorist-prone the country,” he said. Margaret Watuwa, the Kenya, according to Apollo Kazungu, the guidelines, including a requirement schools, especially in Kampala city. Citing the example of St. Michael headteacher of Kololo SSS, said her commissioner for refugees. for all schools to have CCTV “We use camoufl ag pupils SSS in Sonde, where Lual Nyok, a administration would comply with Bangirana said the available resources cameras, fi re extinguishers, metal because we do not want to scare student who was suspended for the Police guidelines. are less compared to the population, thus detectors at all entrance and exit using a cellular phone on the school “Who can denounce a measure leading to quarrels and fi ghts between the points. premises, sneaked back into the aimed at thwarting insecurity?” refugees and host communities. The Police spokesperson, Fred school and stabbed another student Watuwa asked. The report cites quarrels among school- Enanga, also tasked school heads Brian Rukundo for orchestrating his Peter Odoki, the director for going refugees and host community with providing the tags for teachers suspension, Enanga said all schools public and international relations children. at schools for easy identifi cation. should employ security guards. at Makerere University Business This occasionally escalates into parent “If the schools management do Responding to the Police directive, School also welcomed the clashes, parent-teacher clashes and at not honour the agreement Bubulo County East MP Simon development. times whole communities, especially when reached, we shall take Mulongo, a peace and security The Kyambogo University vice- children belong to different ethnic groups. action,” Enanga chancellor, Prof. Elly Katunguka, They report calls for enhancing of refugee said, while said the institution has extra protection, promotion of civic education addressing the Armed, plain clothes deployment from the Uganda Police among refugees and compensation of Force. He added that currently, no nationals whose land was allocated to operatives will be one is being allowed to access the refugee settlements. institution without identifi cation. Launching the report, the Minister for Uganda has witnessed a number Disaster Preparedness, Hilary Onek, said deployed at some of terrorist attacks on schools in the it will help the Government get a better past. Horrifi c memories still linger of resolution to the problem of promoting terrorist-prone the June 8, 1998 attack on Uganda harmony between refugees and local Technical College Kichwamba in communities. schools, especially in Kabarole district, where the Allied Bonwell Kantande, the UNHCR deputy Democratic Forces rebels killed 80 country director, said they intend to Kampala students and abducted over 100 train refugees to start their own income- Enanga said a Police team will carrying out inspections at schools others. generating projects. .