Justice has caught up with Tukwasibwe Junior, the director of Educate a Child Street Children Uganda,a Community-Based Organization (CBO), who has been convicted of a series of grave crimes, including aggravated trafficking in children, aggravated defilement, and rape.

On June 27, 2025, the High Court’s International Crimes Division handed him a maximum custodial sentence of 46 years and ordered him to pay UGX 15 million in compensation to three victims.

Tukwasibwe was found guilty on two counts of aggravated trafficking in children, one count of trafficking in persons, one count of aggravated defilement, one count of rape, and one count of operating an unapproved children’s home.

He was sentenced as follows; 46 years’ imprisonment for one count of aggravated trafficking in children, 30 years for the second count of aggravated trafficking in children, 46 years each for aggravated defilement and rape, 10 years for trafficking in persons, and a UGX 100,000 fine for operating an unapproved children’s home.

The sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve a total of 46 years behind bars.

The prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo and Senior State Attorney Marion Ben Bella from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), presented a chilling account of systemic abuse. They described how Tukwasibwe, under the cover of offering care and sponsorship to vulnerable children, exploited his position of trust to commit repeated sexual crimes.

The court heard that he used deception, coercion, and threats of death or expulsion to silence his victims, many of whom were entirely dependent on the CBO for food, shelter, and education.

Investigations also revealed appalling conditions at the children’s home, which housed 20 to 40 children in facilities described as grossly inadequate, unregulated, and dangerous.

Presiding judge Justice Richard Wejuli condemned the crimes as not only severe but deeply disturbing, particularly given they were committed by someone entrusted with protecting children.

He emphasized that such breaches of trust would not be tolerated and that the courts must play a central role in deterring exploitation under the guise of humanitarian service.

In addition to his prison sentence, Tukwasibwe was ordered to compensate each of the three victims with UGX 5 million, totaling UGX 15 million, as a form of recognition for the emotional and psychological harm inflicted on the survivors.

The ODPP welcomed the ruling as a milestone in the fight against sexual violence and human trafficking and a clear statement that children’s homes cannot be allowed to become safe havens for predators.

This landmark verdict reinforces the commitment of Uganda’s justice system to protect the most vulnerable and hold perpetrators fully accountable especially when they abuse positions of authority and trust.