The rampant cases of domestic violence in Kabale District have been blamed on local Council One Chairpersons who take bribes to authorize illegal sale of family land.
This was during a community dialogue to discuss Gender Based Violence -GBV at Kasheregyenyi Church of Uganda in Kamuganguzi Sub County in Kabale District.
The dialogue was organized by Forum for Women in Democracy – FOWEDE, a Non Governmental Organization, under a three year Gender Accountability and Peace project (GAPP) which is being implemented in Kamuganguzi and Buhara Sub counties.
A section of women accused men of conniving with LC.1 Chairpersons to authorize sell of family land without the consent of their wives. Others said that some men attacked their wives with pangas threatening to kill them if they refused to sign on the land sale agreements.
The women said that in most cases, after selling family land, their husbands were spending all the money on alcohol until nothing was left, leaving the rest of the family homeless and suffering in poverty.
The Kabale District LC.5 Male Councilor for Kamuganguzi Sub County, Alex Owamanani said he had received complaints that most of the LC.1 Chairmen were demanding for money before attending to land complaints.
He also noted that the village Chairpersons have been reluctant on settling land disputes because of next years’ election in which they feared to be voted out.
The Kabale District Probation officer Monica Muhumuza Nzeirwe asked the Kabale District top Political leadership to reign on the Corrupt LC.1 Chairpersons who were compromising with fellow men because they made land deals in bars over glasses of alcohol.
The officer in charge of Family and Child Protection Unit at Kabale Central Police station, IP Margret Kamiranga asked the women to always report Corrupt LC.1 Chairpersons to higher local authorities such as Police and office of the Sub county Chief.
Meanwhile, the FOWEDE Coordinator in Kabale District Dorothy Kesiime Naturinda said that they were using organized women groups to identify and solve Gender Based Violence in Kamuganguzi and Buhara Sub counties, Kabale District. She also said that they had identified male champions in each parish, to help in reaching out to the men with messages against GBV.
Ms. Dorothy further said that the Gender and Peace Project which was started in 2020, would end in 2023.
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