The disturbing information of a Ugandan pastor named Amos Betungura having 16 children with 11 different women has been made public by the police.
The nineteen children, ages one to sixteen, who were rescued by police after being suspected of being human trafficking victims included the aforementioned kids.
In a surprising turn of events, a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test revealed that sixteen of the children who had been saved were the pastor’s children.
According to the police, the kids were found in Nkoowe village, Kaliiti parish, Mende sub-county, and Wakiso district in terrible health with several showing signs of suspected torture.
Betungura and his other five purported accomplices including Karoline Nayebare, Dinah Ashaba, Betty Komuhangi, Junic Tusasire and another only identified as Joy were taken into custody on human trafficking charges.
The suspected pastor told Police he had not been able to take care of his children because of the COVID-19 lockdown, an explanation they refused to accept.
“On interrogation, the pastor said due to financial problems he was facing and other challenges after his Church was closed during the COVID-19 lockdown, he decided to place his children under the care of his relatives after failing to provide for them in terms of feeding, education and medication,” Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson, said on Monday, 24 April 2023 during the Police security media briefing at their head of offices in Naguru.
Enanga added that even though they haven’t validated the results of three remaining children to know their father, they are now looking for the mothers of eight children whose mothers are unknown.
