Authorities in Busia have successfully rescued 22 children believed to be victims of aggravated trafficking. The minors, aged between 4 and 17, were reportedly being transported to Kenya under the false pretense of free education.
Moses Mugwe, the Bukedi South region police spokesperson, confirmed the children’s rescue and the arrest of four individuals linked to the trafficking operation.
The suspects arrested include Monica Mirembe, a 32-year-old teacher from Nsambya Kirombe, Kampala, Christopher Katabarwa, a 39-year-old farmhand from Kansanga Makindye, Kampala, Jeans Ambiyo Ambeba, 74, a director at Ematsuli Sunrise Academy in Kenya, and Stephen Omulama, a teacher at the same academy.
The children are currently being sheltered and cared for at the Tororo Child and Family Protection Unit shelter in Tororo District.
The scheme
Between November 2024 and January 2025, Mirembe and Katabarwa reportedly approached parents in Kampala and Wakiso districts, offering their children a chance at free education in Kenya. This enticing promise led some parents to trust the suspects with their children.
However, the lack of recorded contact details for the parents or guardians raised suspicions about the legitimacy of the arrangement.
The suspects had planned to transport the children to Kenya with the help of their Kenyan associates, Ambeba and Omulama. On January 14, 2025, the group arrived in Busia district, where they coordinated with their Kenyan counterparts to meet the children at the border.
However, acting on intelligence, Busia police intercepted the group before they could cross into Kenya. The children, traveling by public transport, were found without proper documentation or contact information for their families.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the children were being transported across the border without their parents’ or guardians’ consent, Mugwe confirmed.
Authorities are now working to identify and contact the children’s relatives to reunite them with their families.
Meanwhile, the children are receiving care and shelter at the Tororo Child and Family Protection Unit. Mugwe has called on registered charities and NGOs to assist with the victims’ resettlement and welfare.
