A Ugandan court found an American couple's foster son guilty of torture, and they were ordered to compensate him with Ksh. 4 million.
The 10-year-old resided with the two at their Nagura Home as a foster child.
The couple entered a plea deal with the director of public prosecution (DPP), reducing their charges to those of torture and aggravated child trafficking.
Mackenzie Leing Mathias and Nicholas Scott Spencer will contribute half of the compensation.
The charges were changed to include torturing their ten-year-old foster child in Uganda, and Spencer was found guilty of neglecting children, staying illegally in the country, and working without authorization.
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The wife, Mathias, was accused of working without a work permit and cruel treatment.
Between September 21, 2022, and December 20, 2022, the two entered Uganda illegally; Spencer stayed there from November 30, 2022, to December 20, 2022. By Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control Act cap 66, they had no permit at the time.
A fine of Ksh. 59,439 and Ksh. 133,587 was imposed on each of them.
The victim had no family, so the Office of the Director of Prosecution Asset Recovery Management Fund will appoint an interim trustee and receive the compensation through the Bank of Uganda, according to the Citizen.
"...in the interim, pending the appointment of a trustee who will manage these funds for the victim and given the circumstances of this victim who seems to have no family, to ensure that the funds are properly managed for the benefit of the child, I order that the Office of the DPP shall work with the public trustee who is the Administrator-General at least within three months from date of this order to agree on how this money should be managed for the benefit of this child," Justice Komuhangi ordered, as reported by The Citizen.
