This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
On September 27, 2019, a court in Mukono, Uganda handed down a two-year jail sentence to Annet Namata for forcefully feeding her step daughter menstrual blood.
According to the court, Namata pleaded guilty to the charge on August 7, 2019, and was given a reduced sentence from seven to two years due to her guilty plea and request for leniency as a mother of three.
However, some residents and Namata's husband, Yunus Lungu, expressed dissatisfaction with the sentence, with Lungu wishing for a longer jail term.
Ms. Susan Mayanja, the Kitega Village Women Secretary, also felt that the sentence was too lenient, stating that it may encourage other women to commit similar acts.
The court heard that Namata served her step daughter food mixed with menstrual blood on June 6, 2019, in Kitega village, Uganda, in contravention of Section 171 of the penal code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
