Residents of Loreng Sub-county in Nakapiripirit District will have a police station closer to home from Friday as authorities move to tackle rising cases of child marriage and defilement reported in the area.
The Mt. Moroto Regional Police, with support from the International Justice Mission (IJM), will establish a temporary police station at the Loreng Sub-county headquarters, with operations expected to begin on August 21, 2026. Authorities are still identifying land for a permanent facility.
The decision followed a Police Baraza held on August 18 in Loboloi Village, where residents raised concern over what they described as the normalisation of child marriage and defilement in the area. The residents said the lack of a nearby police facility has made it difficult for victims and their families to report cases and pursue justice.
Mt. Moroto Regional Police Commander Edirisa Kyeyune said the station was established following consultations with the District Security Committee and IJM. “Community members should not walk long distances to report cases. The absence of a police post could have contributed to the rampant cases of defilement and early marriages because the community had nowhere to report,” Kyeyune said.
Kyeyune said the station will be fully staffed and operate around the clock, urging residents to report all criminal cases, particularly defilement and domestic violence. He also warned men who have married girls below the age of 18 to release them before police operations begin, stressing that such cases should not be handled through informal community arrangements.
“Girls under 18 cannot consent. A man can be arrested. This is a capital offense that should be handled by the High Court, not local leaders,” he said. Kyeyune also called on communities to keep girls in school, saying education would play an important role in transforming the region’s economy.
While residents welcomed the new police station, some questioned whether increased police presence alone would end practices that have become deeply entrenched in the community. Several men at the baraza argued that girls increasingly enter relationships voluntarily, unlike in the past when they were allegedly abducted.
“Men should not be blamed alone. These days it is girls who follow us. Why arrest only the boy when the girl came to his home?” asked Simon Peter Teko of Loboloi Village. Youth leader Emmanuel Lowakori, however, attributed much of the problem to poverty, saying that some families struggle to keep their daughters in school and resort to marriage as a source of income through dowry payments.
“The main cause of child marriage is poverty. Parents are too vulnerable to support girls in school. Sometimes the girl comes back home, and the only option is marriage so the family can get dowry. If government is serious, it should take full responsibility for educating the girl child,” Lowakori said.
LC1 Chairperson of Kawojari Village Simon Peter Kodet said cases of child marriage are difficult to prevent because relationships between young people are often treated as private agreements. He said many cases only become known after a girl becomes pregnant, at which point families may choose to arrange a marriage.
Moses Lochap said some residents have also lost confidence in the justice system because of delays in handling reported cases. “We are discouraged from reporting because cases die before reaching court. An old man can marry a young girl; we report, and there is no action. It looks normal to marry underage girls,” Lochap said.
Grace Angella of Loreng Village blamed some parents for contributing to early marriages, accusing them of treating girls as a source of wealth. “Parents have turned girls into a business. They invite old men with cows to negotiate dowry for underage daughters. This has forced girls to run into marriage with men of their choice because if they delay, parents will choose for them,” Angella said.
Female District Councillor for Loreng Erina Longole called for a broader response involving government, communities and development partners. “Many partners have sensitized communities, but there are no results. Girls are married off, and boys are killed in cattle raids. The young generation that would transform this region has been wiped out,” Longole said.
Moses Lokut also questioned the effectiveness of community-based interventions, particularly the work of para-social workers. “Defilement and early marriages happen in broad daylight in the presence of para-social workers, and nothing is reported. The community must take responsibility. Police alone cannot manage,” he said.
The temporary police station will begin operations on August 21 as authorities continue efforts to secure land for a permanent facility. Police say they will combine enforcement with community sensitisation and operations targeting perpetrators of child marriage and defilement.
However, residents say the success of the new station will ultimately depend on more than police presence, with poverty, cultural practices, access to justice and keeping girls in school remaining central to the fight against early marriage and sexual violence-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
