WHO CAN ASK FOR DNA TEST ?.

By BarefootLawyers.

Ndigga has not been sleeping well. His son does not have his feet and even his aunty who saw the baby in the hospital, says that the nose ‘does not belong to their clan’. The problem is, his wife told him that she was pregnant when he was working in Kasese. He never even thought about it because he visited home once in a while, but the rumours have been torturing him. He has been sleepwalking, waking up panicked because of this, and he has even been avoiding his home and his wife. This week, he decided enough was enough and he wants to go for a DNA test to confirm if all the rumours and doubts are just trying to break his family apart.

On the news, he heard terrible news ‘mbu’ he cannot just go for DNA. Is this true, is he stuck with his doubts for now?

 

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

First, every child has a parent, and every child is entitled to know who their parent is. The law says that every person above 18 years has the right to start a family.

Secondly, if you are a married couple, the law says that the assumption is that all children who are born to that couple belong to that marriage unless there is proof that shows otherwise. If there are no doubts, or questions in a marriage about a child, then there is no need to do a DNA.

Thirdly, if you are not married and have children, the law cannot assume that you are the parent of that child unless you say so on a birth certificate or if you accept that the child is yours.

Additionally, only a select group of people can legally check and ask to find out who a parent or child belongs to. This can be a child (who is below 18 years), a mother or a father. Not a person who ‘has lugambo’ (gossip) to find out because they are curious.

DNA is not the only way to confirm if someone is a parent or child. However, it is one of the commonest and most popular ones is DNA testing.

📷: Unsplash