Makerere University vice chancellor accused of rape
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1207798/-/bl2fn0z/-/index.html
Posted Tuesday, July 26 2011 at 00:00
Kampala
The Uganda Human Rights Commission is investigating Makerere University Vice Chancellor Venansius Baryamureeba over the alleged rape of a 26-year-old female.
The inquiry follows a complaint filed with the rights body on July 15 by the woman, who says she is now more than two months pregnant as a result of the alleged rape. The complainant, whose name cannot be divulged for legal reasons, claims she was raped on March 3 at her home in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb.
The Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mr Med Kaggwa, confirmed that his office had received the claim from the alleged victim. But he declined to divulge any information about the complainant.
Mr Kaggwa, however, said he will be appointing a committee later this week to investigate the claims. He added that the complaint is being treated as a sensitive case because of the high profile of the defendant.
Accosted at 2am
The complainant, in an interview with Daily Monitor last night, said she could not comment on the matter because it is now before the human rights body. But in her statement to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen, the complainant accuses Prof. Baryamureeba of forcing her to have sex with him despite her protests.
The claimant says she met Prof. Baryamureeba for a drink with two other male friends on March 3 this year. She says the university don later insisted on driving her home and, after entering her house at around 2am, refused to leave because he was “drunk and it was late.”
Prof. Baryamureeba then allegedly agreed to sleep on the sofa chair but later in the night moved to the complainant’s bed and forcibly had sex with her. “He moved into my room and bed and in my deep sleep only realised that someone was on me. He then forcibly had sex with me, amidst my protests that I am not safe and I don’t have intimate relations with you and you could be sick,” she wrote.
She added, “He overpowered me, completed his sex round and immediately dressed up and rushed out. He also requested me over and over not to report to police for the sake of his position and future political ambitions.”
The complainant’s statement is supported by a medical report from Kitante Medical Centre. The report says the alleged victim “was assaulted and raped by a boyfriend last evening around 3am” and describes the injuries she suffered.
Pregnancy claim
Since the alleged incident, the complainant has emailed Prof. Baryamureeba at least three times, on April 29, May 2, and July 8, telling him that she was pregnant with his baby but she claims she has received no reply.
On July 8, she wrote; “Mr. Baryamureeba, you raped me, leaving me pregnant and homeless. You have managed to split me and my family members. You have not done anything to help me with the current situation apart from telling me lies and ask me to sleep with you every time we meet.”
The victim ends her email with a threat, saying, “I am going to kill myself and you will have my blood on your hands.” According to her statement to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the alleged victim and Prof. Baryamureeba have also held five meetings. But, she writes, “In all the meetings (5 times) he has demanded for sex which I have since refused.”
She says she also went with her relatives to meet Prof. Baryamureeba on July 1 at his office in Makerere but he declined to meet them, saying he was not meeting anyone that day. Prof. Baryamureeba could not be reached for comment.
Baryamureeba rape case dropped
http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=123&newsId=762030
By Andante Okanya and Conan Businge
THE woman who accused Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof Venansius Baryamureeba of rape and impregnating her, has withdrawn the complaint.
She also apologised to the professor and said they had resolved the matter amicably.
In a letter of August 4, 2011, to the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) chief, Medi Kaggwa, Tracy Ninsiima says she was neither raped, nor sexually assaulted.
“I wish to state categorically and unequivocally that I was not raped by Prof. Baryamureeba; I was not in any way whatsoever sexually assaulted by him.”
She added: “I am sorry for the harm, pain and embarrassment caused to Professor Baryamureeba. Accordingly, I am withdrawing the complaint against Prof. Baryamureeba.”
Ninsiima confirmed to Sunday Vision that she had withdrawn the charges. “The rape allegations are not true as reported in the press, I was not raped; I have put this in writing at the Human Rights Commission and we have settled amicably.”
Kaggwa confirmed to Sunday Vision that the two parties appeared at the commission on Friday and resolved to sort out the issue harmoniously.
“The case file is closed; the case will not go to the courts of law or the tribunal as per the parties’ agreement,” Kaggwa said.
The agreement was hammered out on Friday a day after Baryamureeba’s lawyers made a presentation to the commission. Baryamureeba was present when the final Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
Kaggwa reiterated his earlier statements that the case before the commission was not of rape, but paternity. Asked about Ninsiima’s claims to be pregnant, Kaggwa said that would “depend on the parties involved”.
Baryamureeba’s lawyer Sam Ahamya said if Ninsiima is pregnant, that would be another case. “The question is by whom?” he asked. He said a pregnancy cannot take place by a mere meeting in a pub over a drink. “Unless it is by osmosis or telepathy; the professor never had sexual intercourse with her.”
Ahamya said his client had learnt his lesson to be careful when meeting people in future. “As a public figure, he has to be free, but free within a cage.”
Ahamya said Baryamureeba would not sue Ninsiima for defamation, saying that would not repair the damage she had intended to inflict on his reputation. He said the professor did not have time for such issues.
“He has a university to run and many important issues to handle,” he argued.
Baryamureeba also ruled out charges against the media which he accused of publishing a story without proof.
Asked if any money had exchanged hands, Ahamya said: “No money exchanged hands; no money will exchange hands in future.”
On why Ninsiima withdrew the charges, Ahamya said: “If you have a good case, you stand by it; if you don’t, you think twice.”
He said Ninsima thought the public did not know her character and past, but when her background was unveiled, it showed a “certain trend”.
He said the commission advised her accordingly. He said a lot of things attributed to Ninsiima did not add up and the truth would emerge.
Ahamya said the memorandum of understanding requires both parties to desist from speaking to media, and Ninsiima to admit that her claims are incorrect and not file any further claims or charges against the professor.
“The matter is closed; she cannot say later that she has had a change of heart,” Ahamya said.
He said each party will “move in their own direction, nothing like settling costs or compensating the other”.
In a reaction, Baryamureeba said he “was relieved” but blamed the matter on infighting at Makerere. “I am innocent. Many staff at the university know the truth,” Baryamureeba said.
“I am going to live up to my duties and steer the university forward. I don’t want anything beyond this. I am the vice-chancellor and I want us to move forward.” He said he would not “pursue” Ninsiima because she was being used by insiders. “We want to focus on Makerere, not individuals.”
The matter has provoked heated debate among the university community. Fingers seem to point at Dr. Tanga Odoi, the head of the academic staff association. In an email to staff, B. Rukooko, the dean of the School of Liberal and Performing Arts, said an insider “could have originated the saga in a bid to destroy another.”
Unfortunately, he argued, the move had “turned out to hurt the reputation of this great institution, the individual at the helm, ourselves, our children, wives, grandchildren and many people.”
He challenged Tango Odoi to explain his role in the matter. “Did you realise that you were using your position and MUASA to fight a private war?”
Rukooko also said it was “morally wrong to destroy other individuals who are perhaps innocent”
In support of Rukooko, another academic wrote: “If the cries of RAPE be taken seriously, we must condemn the abuse of the power to cry “rape” when there is no evidence to support it.”
However, another academic described Rukooko’s analysis as “merely simplistic” and intended to undermine “critical issues raised by second voices”.
On his part, Tanga Odoi recently advised Baryamureeba to face the allegations squarely. He argued that the reputation of the university was more important than any individual. Yesterday, he dismissed claims that he was the architect of the saga and advised Baryamureeba to “take blame for his self-inflicted problems”.
Published on: Sunday, 7th August, 2011
