Jinja sodomy teacher granted bail, banned from stepping at PPM girls school
Former Deputy Headteacher of PMM Girls School in Jinja City, Lydia Mukodha who has been on remand over charges of sodomizing girls students at the school has been released on bail.
Ms. Mukodha, was on March 3rd, 2023 arrested by police after parents stormed the school in protest and demanding her immediate apprehension and trial.
This followed a morning show on 90.6 Busoga One FM in which senior presenter, Innocent Anyole said he had received intelligence that Mukodha was habitually having same-sex affairs with students and other women.
It was later established that for the information to reach the airwaves, one of Mukodha’s victims tipped fellow students jwhich news escaped to the community.
It was reported that Mukodha has been practicing such acts in lodges around Jinja City and Buweera in Buwenge town council.
Later Ms. Mukodha’s ‘wife’ identified as Ms. Martha Naigaga was also smoked out from their hideout in a Jinja suburb.
The two are facing charges of engaging in gross indecency and facilitating acts of gross indecency.
They were remanded to Kirinya Prison in Jinja City on March 3 and remained in custody for a period of 67 days before finally being granted bail.
The decision to grant bail was made by Jinja Grade One Magistrate, Agnes Musiime, who considered the provisions of Article 26(6) (a) that entitles an arrested person to apply for release on bail.
After hearing the arguments from both the defense and the prosecution, Magistrate Musiime recognized the defendants’ constitutional right to liberty, especially considering the lengthy period they had already spent in remand.
However, as a precautionary measure, the magistrate imposed certain conditions upon their release. Notably, Ms. Mukodha was prohibited from accessing PMM Girls School to ensure the integrity of potential witnesses and to prevent any interference with the evidence.
The court also emphasized the need to safeguard the well-being of the accused individuals until the case reaches its conclusion.
As part of the bail conditions, Ms. Mukodha was required to temporarily surrender her identity card, which will be returned upon the final resolution of the case.
Each of the suspects was released on bail, with a cash amount of Shs500,000 imposed for each of them, and their respective sureties were required to provide a non-cash bond of Shs300,000. Ms. Mukodha’s sureties included her father, a former teacher at PMM Girls School, as well as her brother, Michael Waiswa.
Following the bail hearing, State Attorney Ms. Florence Kataike informed the court that one witness was available to testify against Ms. Mukodha.
Nevertheless, due to the defense lawyer’s prior commitments in another case, the hearing was adjourned until May 18.
