Police are yet to summon and also extract a statement from the Aya Group chairman, Mr Mohammed Mohammed Hamid, who was accused of sexual harassment by his former female employee, in a case that has since stoked controversy.
A former female worker of AYA Group reported Mr Hamid, her boss to Old Kampala Police Station for allegedly sexually assaulting her at his posh Nakasero Hill Hotel built on former UBC land
The victim, who claims to have been sexually abused by Mr Hamid since 2015, opened two criminal cases, one of sexual abuse at old Kampala Police Station and assault (causing bodily harm) at Central Police Station Kampala. The case on assault was filed last year and one on sexual abuse this year.
Last month, Mr Hamid recorded a statement at Central Police Station Kampala in regards to the case of assault (causing bodily harm).
But Mr Hamid denied assaulting the victim before he was released on a police bond.
Kampala Metropolitan police spokesman Emilian Kayima, confirmed that detectives haven’t summoned the suspect in the sexual assault case because the victim hasn’t provided the evidence she was asked to hand over to the police.
“When the lady reported a case of sexual assault, she said she had videos showing her being sexually assaulted. The detectives told her to bring the videos, but she didn’t return to the station. The detective is still waiting for that evidence to proceed with the case,” Mr Kayima said.
According to police, the investigation of the sexual assault case was difficult given the fact that the victim had reported late when the scientific evidence had already been washed away.
However, Mr Kayima said the videos of the crime would help in the investigation.
Following complaints by the victim’s lawyer, Kampala Metropolitan police headquarters recalled both files from the two police stations and instituted a fresh investigation.
By Friday, the new investigation team had neither talked to the suspect nor victim.
In a related development, the National Organisation of Trade Union (Notu) chairman, Mr Wilson Owere, gave police a week to show progress in the sex assault case or they take industrial action against the AYA Group.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, Mr Ambrose Tebyasa, the lawyer to victim, said the police have failed to progress on both cases.
It’s this sexual case that saw suspended Junior labour minister Herbert Kabafunzaki charged with three related corruption charges on Tuesday last week.
This was after the victim ran to him for help, which intervention saw the minister arrested and charged on grounds that he had solicited and received a Shs5m bribe from Mr Hamid in return to ‘clear’ his name of the sexual harassment smear.
The suspended minister, who is currently out of jail on bail, has since insisted that his arrest was a set up by his political rivals at his Rukiga County constituency in Kabale District.