Paul Nyathi|In a very weird case, a Ugandan Court has sentenced a woman to jail for two years for forcefully feeding her step daughter menstrual blood.

The Magistrate, Patience Koburunga handed, Annet Namata the two-year-jail term on Thursday afternoon on her own plea of guilty.

In her judgment, Koburunga noted that she had reduced Namata’s sentence from seven to two years because she pleaded guilty saving court time and asked for lenience on grounds that she is a mother of three children.

Namata pleaded guilty during trial of her case. However, some of the residents and Namata’s husband, Yunus Lungu are not contented with the judgment.

Mr Lungu said he wished Namata would have got a longer jail term. 

“Let her serve her time and hopefully she may learn her lesson,” he added. 

Ms Susan Mayanja, a women’s rights defender in the area, said although justice has been served, the sentence was lenient.

“That sentence will only encourage other women to do the same thing knowing their sentences will be very light,” she said. 

She advised women to treat their step children with love since they don’t know what the future holds.

The Court heard that on several occasions Namata served her step daughter food mixed with her menstrual blood contrary to Section 171 of the Ugandan penal code. 

The law provides that “Any person who unlawfully or negligently does any act which is and which he or she knows or has reason to believe to be likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”