Police in Pakwach District are holding a man, Ivan Mungungeyo, on allegations of sexually assaulting a female passenger aboard a Nile Star bus.

Mungungeyo, a resident of Wampewo Kasawe Zone, Kasangati Town Council, Wakiso District, was detained on Sunday after the victim, identified as Judith Jurua Tracy, 21, reported a case of indecent assault at the Pakwach police station.

Mungungeyo denied the allegations, saying his trouser zip was simply open accidentally.

Josephine Angucia, the West Nile region police spokesperson, explained that the incident occurred on Saturday night in Kichobonyobo village, Masindi District, while both the suspect and the victim were traveling on a Nile Star bus (registration number UBF 691T) from Kampala to Arua.

“The territorial police of Pakwach District are investigating an allegation of indecent assault of a lady by a man, both passengers in a night bus with registration number UBF 691T while in transit from Kampala to Arua City. This allegedly happened around Kichobonyobo village in Masindi District,” Angucia stated.

Preliminary reports indicate that the victim was initially assigned seat number 21 alongside another female passenger. However, upon reaching Luwero, the female passenger disembarked, and the seat was reassigned to Mungungeyo.

Angucia reported that while the bus was in motion, Mungungeyo allegedly began touching the victim’s thigh and eventually exposed himself, rubbing his genitals on the victim’s sweater. This prompted the victim to raise an alarm and report the incident to the bus conductor.

“The male passenger allegedly started touching the female victim’s thigh. However, she removed his hand. Again, the suspect allegedly exposed himself and rubbed his genitals on the victim’s sweater,” Angucia added.

The bus conductor, who preferred anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, confirmed the incident but noted that the suspect denied the allegations, claiming he had merely forgotten to zip his trousers. “When we questioned him, he denied the allegation and instead said that he forgot to zip his trousers and that’s why his genitals were exposed,” the conductor said.

According to the Annual Police Crime Report 2023, a total of 14,846 sex-related cases were reported to the police, an increase of 1.4 percent from 14,693 cases in 2022. Additionally, there were 299 reported cases of indecent assault last year.URN