The Court of Appeal in Mbarara has upheld a 25-year sentence for a man found guilty of sexually abusing his daughter.
Atanazio Katiti received a 25-year prison term in 2013 from the Mbarara High Court after his daughter reported him for repeatedly sexually abusing her when her mother was absent.
The prosecution’s evidence revealed that in 2005, during his wife’s absence, Katiti subjected his own daughter to multiple instances of sexual abuse upon returning home from a drinking establishment. He warned her against reporting these acts to anyone.
When the daughter eventually disclosed the abuse to her mother upon her return, the mother reported the matter to the police, leading to Katiti’s arrest and subsequent court appearance.
In 2013, the Mbarara High Court handed down the 25-year prison sentence to Katiti.
Nonetheless, Katiti contested the severity of the sentence, asserting that it was overly harsh.
In their verdict, a panel of three judges from the Court of Appeal, namely Muzamiru Kibeedi, Christopher Gashirabake, and Eva Luswata, asserted that the 25-year imprisonment was not an excessive punishment in light of Katiti’s abhorrent actions towards his own daughter.
“The actions he displayed with impunity lacked any shred of human respect for his vulnerable child, whom he was supposed to nurture and protect as a father,” the judges noted. They further emphasized that these actions transpired within the family environment, where a child should experience happiness and security. The judges dismissed the argument that his consumption of alcohol mitigated his deplorable and reprehensible conduct.
The judges concurred with the trial judge’s assertion that this case warranted a clear message to the public that family members do not have any inherent right to engage in sexual activities with their own children.
“In light of these circumstances, we are unable to consider a 25-year imprisonment term as unduly harsh or excessively severe. Therefore, we find no grounds to intervene,” the judges concluded.
“To summarize, the appeal has been unsuccessful. We uphold the original 25-year prison sentence as decreed by the trial court.”
