Ugandan Nanny Speaks out, Asks for Forgiveness

You remember this Lady? 

Jolly Tumuhiirwe, a Ugandan nanny who has been dubbed the 'monster maid', has spoken out about the events around the tragic beating of the child she was supposed to take care of, 18-month-old Arnella.

Arnella Kamanzi, the 18-month-old baby who was tortured by a maid early this month was yesterday admitted at the pediatric section in Mulago Hospital for further medical examinations. "The baby was brought here for examinations and a number of tests will be done to establish whether she is in good health," confirmed a source at the national referral hospital.

Jolly Tumuhiirwe, the maid who is the main actress in the 'horror movie' has been charged with attempted murder and she is due to appear in court on Dec. 08, 2014. Experts are also looking at the video to be sure it was not doctored.

Meanwhile, speaking from Luzira prison, Jolly Tumuhiirwe has asked the 'world' to forgive her for what she did...."My dad in Kabale was very sick and yet my mom did not have any money. I asked my bosses for some money to send to my dad but they told me that I hadn't made a month yet and my father was dying, so it kept on haunting me."

"That is the more reason I referred the anger to the baby but I'm sorry. But that madam (Arnella's mom) is not easy. She used to say that I steal money from the clothes and Eric's wallet, I eat the babies food...and yet I can't eat the food, I'm not a baby, those were all lies, so, I was also not happy from my heart."

"I feel guilty..ok when I was doing it I thought I was disciplining the baby because also the mother sometimes slaps her, I also saw from the mom. The torch I used was small and it's not hard. I think, I will never do it again"

Jolly's experience of Prison

"It's not good at all even my fellow prisoners don't want to associate with me, they want to beat me up. In fact they were saying that I should join them in their rooms, nobody likes me and I'm feeling bad I will never do it again, I ask the world to forgive me and also tell the bosses who have maids to treat them well."

Jolly Tumuhiirwe holds up a t-shirt indicating the 

wounds she suffered from a beating

In the picture above Tumuhiirwe is showing police evidence of blood on her t-shirt. However, at this point she was unaware that she had been recorded by a spy cam.

Meanwhile Ugandan human rights lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuzi has offered to represent Tumuhirwe in court according to Zambia’s The Post newspaper.

“I would gladly try to help her because the world has turned against her. She needs legal counsel; the constitution presumes her innocent till (proven) guilty despite all that we have seen,” Rwakafuzi said.

Rwakafuzi expressed doubts about the video’s authenticity, saying, “I wonder how a person weighing 80kg can step on a baby and there is no physical harm on the back.”

His offer comes after civil society organisations distanced themselves from the Tumuhirwe, saying they couldn’t offer aid given the nature of her offense.

Federation of Uganda Women Lawyers (FIDA) chairperson Eunice Musiime said, “We condemn in the strongest terms any torture of children. Instead, we are considering supporting the parents to pursue justice. We want to clear the air. There was speculation that FIDA was involved and yet we are not.”