By: Alyssa Schiefer, CGJ Uganda Fellow
“Thank you for your support and for loving kids.” A father with tears in his eyes said this to the Kyampisi Childcare Ministries team after court concluded. His son, J (now age 8), was severely harmed by two offenders practicing witchcraft. These offenders committed human sacrifice and human trafficking when they took a three-year-old J from his home, they administered morphine and Chloroform which enabled them to cut off his arm, cut him around the neck and later dumped the victim into a drum which they covered with the intention of suffocating him to death. By God’s grace he was rescued. Thankfully, the High Court sentenced these two offenders to prison on 22nd/10/2025. The first convict was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment on all counts. The second convict was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment and the family received justice. Although the child and the family have a long road to recovery, the smiles of the family upon receiving justice and thanking (KCM) bring hope of new beginnings.
J’s case began five years ago. KCM has been there for every step of the journey – from intake, rehabilitation, court hearings, and now case closing. This success story is just one of many that KCM has played a key role in. Kyampisi Childcare Ministries is a non-profit organization that helps house and rehabilitate abused and neglected children. The organization specifically focuses time and resources on stopping and protecting children against the crime of human sacrifice in Uganda, like the above-mentioned case.
KCM conducts its mission to help children in several ways. The organization provides housing for children who are no longer safe in the community, providing access to necessities like a medical clinic and a school (which they have also opened to the community). KCM also provides rehabilitation services for children and their families to re-integrate into society after severe harm. In addition to providing necessities, KCM currently works tirelessly alongside Ugandan police, prosecutors, and the judiciary to bring justice for these children.
As a Legal Fellow from Regent University School of Law in Virginia, I have the opportunity to partner alongside our international partners, one of those partners being Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. I have been so honored to collaborate with Peter, KCM’s director, and Yekous, KCM’s Attorney and Head of Child Protective Services, on various projects and be involved in cases like J’s. One project we are tirelessly working on is what will hopefully be a special session with the High Court of Uganda. In Uganda, the backlog of cases to be heard before the court is long, with no guarantee a case will be heard; however, with time and finances, one can request that the court hold a special session. A special session means that the Court sets aside a time to only hear cases of a certain matter – and in this case, only cases involving child sacrifice.
My current role at KCM is to help read over the cases that have not yet been heard and write memorandums summarizing the facts and law and pointing out any legal issues. When I am not busy reading and writing, you can find me going on trips with KCM to court or meeting with the kids and staff on the KCM campus. Please join me in praying that the High Court of Uganda will conduct a special session focused solely on offenders who have committed atrocious crimes, so that we can bring more families and children justice.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.