Muhammad Walusansa Muzaaya, a resident of Buvuma Island, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for trafficking 25 children. The judgment was delivered by Justice Andrew Bashaija of the International Crimes Division of the High Court on Thursday, April 11, 2024, following Muzaaya’s guilty plea to the charge of aggravated trafficking in children.
In July 2013, authorities received a report about a significant number of children not attending school at Muzaaya’s residence on Buvuma Island. Upon investigation, the police found 39 children living with Muzaaya, who were employed in his agricultural fields. Despite being questioned by the police, Muzaaya failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the presence of these children, with only nine confirmed to be his biological offspring.
Muzaaya claimed that the children were under his care for educational purposes, but investigations revealed that he lacked the qualifications or license to teach. Instead, the children were primarily engaged in religious education focusing on the Asaraf sect of Islam, while Muzaaya benefitted from their labor as a farmer.
Consequently, Muzaaya faced 25 counts of aggravated trafficking in children and exploiting them for labor based on these findings.
When the case proceeded to court, Muzaaya chose to engage in a plea bargain. During the court session overseen by Justice Bashaija, Muzaaya was ensured of his rights and made a voluntary decision to plead guilty. The court accepted his plea.
Considering both the aggravating and mitigating factors, the judge ruled that Muzaaya would serve a 16-year prison term for each of the 25 counts, to be served concurrently as per the plea bargain agreement.
Muzaaya reached this plea bargain with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), with Senior State Attorney Jacquelyn Okui representing the DPP’s office.
