In the Third Episode, we stopped when Moses, Nakalawo’s husband, had broken down into tears after Nakalawo broke the news, that she had hit Isaac, Moses’ only son, on the head,, and Isaac had dropped dead. We were at the Police station where Nakalawo had reported herself. Let us continue:
“Hajji Ashraf, Moses cried like a woman and I could see the Police officers getting disgusted with him. It took some ten minutes for the officers to calm him down. People were peeping through the window to see a man crying and screaming.
“Though I was in a bad situation, I got embarrassed, too. However, he was really hurt by the sudden death of his only son and child. I could see outside, the Police Patrol vehicle was ready to go.”Another problem started when Moses didn’t want to leave me behind. He wanted to go with me. It took the Police officers another 20 minutes to pull him out, especially when he saw me being taken and locked in the cell; he had forgotten that I was the criminal.
“Moses went real mad fighting the policemen and requested them to forgive me that I never intended to kill. There, I learnt that Moses had found some space in his heart to forgive me. I felt very sorry for him, bambi.
“He made a statement that pinched my heart up to today that; ‘Officers, nfiridwa omwana wange omu bwati, kati ate nemukyala wange mugenda musiba? Munsaasire banange. Ngenda kusigala naani nze. Ate bambi omukazi ali lubuto’. (Officers, I have lost my only son. Now you are locking up even my wife. How am I going to cope up with the loneliness. She is even pregnant. Please have mercy.)
“Hajji Ashraf, I saw my husband crying like a baby and broke down, too. The white tunic (kanzu) he was wearing was turning brown and wet with tears around the chest. Remember, had come from a marriage introduction function.
“The two girls I found in the cell just looked at me, crying uncontrollably. The Police managed to pull Moses out and in the next three minutes I heard the siren of the patrol car moving away.”I stayed there imagining what was going to happen at my home. All my privacy was no more. All the neighborhood was going to enter my bedroom up to the bathroom to see. They were going to judge me because I couldn’t see Moses explaining to them what had really happened. He was in a bad state.
“I thought about Isaac’s mother: would she get to know her mistake that caused all that? Who would tell her?
“Remember it was a Sunday. By that time it was already dark. I really didn’t want to know what happened at home; and I still don’t want to know.
“The following day, I was taken to Buganda Road Court and remanded. I was taken to Luzira waiting for the Police investigations to be completed before my committal to the High Court.”
Fans, I have to remind you that this is a true story of one, Jane Nakalawo. Let’s continue:
“When the hearing of my case started in the High Court after almost nine months, Moses had hired a lawyer for me. But I heard that he was under attack from some of his relatives and Isaac mother’s family.
“I was so happy that Moses understood my side and firmly stood by me. A lot was said in court and I never wanted to disturb court. I wanted to plead guilty of murder, there and then, but my lawyer said, ‘No’. He laboured to turn the case from murder to manslaughter.”There was one point that interested me most. It turned the whole case the other way round. My lawyer tricked Nakassi (Isaac’s mother) into submission.
“Nakassi was a prosecution witness. She had pinned me that, I convinced her to give me her son, to which she did; and later, I killed him.
“In one of the proceedings, my lawyer asked her whether she had ever tampered with my knickers; which she denied. Then, the lawyer told her that some of the finger prints found on the knickers were hers.
“She got shocked and in that shock, she told the Court that; ‘Naye ekyo tekimuwa beetu kutta mwana wange.’ (But that alone did not warrant her [me] to kill my son).
“The whole Court got excited; and she got confused. She had confessed that she had actually touched my knickers. For the first time, I also smiled while in the dock. Later, the lawyer told me that in fact they never checked the knickers for finger prints. It was just a trick. In any case, I learnt later that, clothes do not register finger prints.”When the case ended, I was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years in prison. Remember, I was pregnant.
“While on remand, I gave birth to a baby boy. I have now served eight years, and soon I shall be coming out. My son is in Primary Two; he stays with his dad.“Moses has been coming here almost every weekend for all those eight years. He never turned away from me. I now even love him more.
“I don’t want to know what he does out there because he is a human being.”
Fans, that is the end of Nakalawo’s story. Thanks for reading. Allah, bless you all. Best regards.
