Prime
Police decry surging number of widows seeking refuge after eviction
Mr Samuel Okodos, a community liaison officer in Wakiso District addressing widows during the International Widows Day celebrations in Wakiso District. PHOTOS/NOELINE NABUKENYA
What you need to know:
- Ms Bereta Nassali, an 80-year-old resident of Lukwanga village and a victim of what she described as illegal land eviction said after her husband's death, her home was razed down before she was told to find somewhere else to stay.
Police in Wakiso District have decried the surging number of widows seeking refuge and intervention at their stations due to what authorities described as raging cases of land grabbing and illegal evictions in the central Uganda region.
“When these people lose their loved ones, their relatives take advantage of their vulnerable situation to force them out of their homes. The number of widows who flock our stations seeking help and sometimes refuge is overwhelming," said Mr Samuel Okodos, a community liaison officer in the district.
Ms Bereta Nassali, an 80-year-old resident of Lukwanga village and a victim of what she described as illegal land eviction said after her husband's death, her home was razed down before she was told to find somewhere else to stay.
"I had nowhere to go other than police to seek assistance. My in-laws wanted to end my life,” Ms Nassali said during celebrations to commemorate International Widows Day in Wakiso District.
The 18th annual celebrations were organised by Redeem International- Wakiso, a non-profit organisation under the theme, "Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality."
Ms Nassali, however, was thankful that the organistion came to her redemption and she was able to return to her home.
Ms Hindu Nabiryo, another victim lauded the organization for settling a dispute between herself and her uncle who allegedly wanted to grab her late father's estate.
"I was born alone and unfortunately, God took all my parents when I was still young. This prompted my uncle to try and take away all the properties because I had no say,” Ms Nabiryo said.
Ms Rukia Kikaziki, a resident of Matugga said she spent nine years in court trying to protect her late husband’s properties from being grabbed by his relatives.
“I regained access to the land after Redeem's assistance," she said.
Mr John Ssejusa, a community development officer in the district observed that the more the number of widows increases, the more land wrangles escalate.
"The fact is that widows increase every now and then. We have nothing to do with that but we need to make sure that before someone becomes a widow, there is something done to avoid land wrangles of that nature," he said.
Redeem programme manager in Wakiso District, Mr Innocent Mudebo said the organisation was started to protect the rights of widows.
"Widows have a right to ownership of their deceased’s husband properties. However, they are overlooked but their problems are not addressed. The celebrations are an opportunity to raise awareness and their challenges be addressed," he said.
Other free services provided by the organistion include defending orphans, probono legal services, making investigations, psycho- social care, raising awareness and call to action.
