Kepher Kuchana, Director of the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory
Kepher Kuchana, Director of the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL), has revealed that the government collected over Shs500M in DNA testing revenue when several Ugandans sought to establish the paternity of their kids at the height of the national debate around “paternity fraud” in the country.
He made the revelation while appearing before Parliament’s Defence & Internal Affairs Committee that the consideration of The Forensic Evidence Bill 2024, saying the requests for DNA tests usually increase towards school fees time as men view it as a cheaper option than paying school fees.
“When it is a set of a father and a child and the mother isn’t there or dead, that is Shs250,000 each; that is Shs500,000. And we had a spike for the request for DNAs; that is what contributed to half a billion in a space of only 3 months because there was a spike when everybody was running, and now, this is December, and in January, it is school fees; of course, people are coming in for requests; it looks cheaper in a way,” explained Kuchana.
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