By Mariam Namakula
The recent months have been a social outburst of testing paternity statuses of children by majority of the men through the DNA process. Amidst the increasing practice, many have been victim to negative results to children they biologically identified as their own.
This has led to social pressure and a mixture of feelings among Ugandans on whether DNA is something many should opt for. Through social media expressions, a number of people think it is simply a truth that none should seek and if they must, the traditional culture of paternity testing on children is something to highly preserve.
Sarah Sunday, a traditional midwife who has practiced the profession for close to 15 years describes the African DNA testing as being the most intense and uncertain.
During the testing process, Sunday says children who would undergo the procedure upon birth were subjected to numerous rituals which would leave some children in fright and their mothers in so much fear and distress.
According to Sunday, in Buganda tradition, the Lugave clan was responsible for these duties, “a basket was weaved in less than a day, smeared with ghee and poured in water. The umbilical code of the child would then be dipped in the basket and when the code remained down it meant that the baby did not belong there but when it floated it was pure celebration and joy.”
However, Dr. Ronald Mukiibi, a research fellow in Aquaculture and Genomics notes that the African traditional methods were rather inaccurate to solve paternity doubts.
The inaccuracy, he said has for many years placed a burden on the African women to prove the identity of their children but also individually deal with the trauma that comes with it.
Dr. Mukiibi notes that with the adaptation of DNA as a new technology, there is opportunity of a highly precise method for establishing biological relationships between individuals.
The accuracy therefore is very useful to objectively settle disputes where paternity of child is contested or doubted and in circumstances of establishing maternity when children interchange happens.
Similarly, genetic identification helps to establish the genetic background of partially heritable diseases such as cancer and fully heritable diseases such as sickle cell, conditions that can be medically handled before worse.
Whereas there is need to welcome the DNA process as a truth search, recent outcry on high negative results from the testing raises debate and urgency of credibility and authenticity of medical facilities that provide the results.
The preliminary Data review by the ministry of health, indicated that seven out of the ten paternity that sought DNA testing turned out to be positive biological relationships while only three of the ten were negative confirming to the grounds of dispute. This were done in the two accredited facilities by the Ministry of health
Earlier on, the deputy Speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa had also shown concern on the mushrooming laboratories requesting Uganda’s Premier Robinah Nabbanja to come up with guidelines but also regulations regarding the matter.
The Ministry of Health recently approved two laboratories to carry out paternity testing. These are; Government Analytical Laboratory and MBN Clinical Laboratories and has since added the Uganda Police Forensic Laboratory.
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health told Parliament that the two approved laboratories had that met the required standards and will be responsible for carrying out all paternity DNA testing.
The decision was to limit the number of authorized laboratories and ensure proper oversight and control over the DNA testing process as earlier requested by the Deputy Speaker in one of the settings.
“Any laboratory that is prepared and wants to carry out DNA paternity testing can apply to the Director General of Health Services,” she said.
Dr. Aceng emphasized governments commitment to safeguarding the integrity and accuracy of DNA testing in Uganda and their willingness to track down any unauthorized DNA testing facilities operating in the country and take appropriate action against them.
Experts state that without proper handling including highlighting the possible psychological/emotional consequences of DNA testing, the process risks causing feelings of rejection, low self-esteem and identity confusion for the child in question.
The issues concerning emotional distress could also be easily dealt with by engaging multi-disciplinary leaders including among others the religious leaders, elders, cultural and community leaders to give guidance on the matter at hand.
This according to Dr. Allan Newton, Icon Medical Center is in addition to the pre and post counseling always provided by professional and approved facilities who prepare the parents on how to handle the information but also disseminate it.
The burden however remains in the legislation where the current law does not protect any aggrieved party/or victim.
According to Counsel Nicholas Agaba, President Mavin Health Focus Initiative Limited, revealed at the moment, the Country needs a resource to explore on identifying rights, remedies and basically not on whether or not to do DNA but rather on the question of how.
Agaba adds that as a matter of fact any recognized facility is presumably professional enough to produce correct results unless proven otherwise.
Therefore, the only way any one can challenge results is by going to court for alternative orders of which even the grounds are not identifiable
One would however argue that DNA much as a child could be a victim, it’s also done to their true parentage, that doesn’t in the circumstances rule out the fact that a child may not be interested in such an exercise and therefore is coerced into the same, he noted.
Adding, we have seen children being thrown on streets after DNA results show they belong to some unknown families, but question is! Whose fault and who should pay for that? Is it a child? Of course not. so law to create a safe landing for such scenarios too.
Despite the gaps emerging with this popularized practice of DNA testing, Ugandans need to embrace it as a technological credible means to genetic truth. The inevitable demand should however persistent on the process, who conducts it and protection of the victims who are largely children.
