Trevor Solomon Baleke, the Namayingo Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) has warned young men looking for quick wealth to go slow on sugar mummies.
Baleke says that before a young man jumps unto the bandwagon of sugar mummy dating, there are several things he needs to understand. He said there are both short-term and long-term risks.
“You’ll be putting your life on hold. Sugar mummies can ruin your life either immediately or later,” he warned.
The DRDC was addressing residents of Banda Town Council where he was invited to resolve a family land conflict in the home of Mr. Stephen Opeda Odong.
Odong, in 1985 during his S.4 vacation fell in love with Annah Taaka a widow and mother of 5 at the time. He would live with her in her late husband’s house for a year before bringing them with her 5 children to his house.
Taaka later sold her late husband’s land before meeting her death two years later and left her now total orphans in the hands of Mr. Opeda who has raised them into men and woman.
Taaka’s oldest son Barasa John (36) told the meeting that the reason they could not leave Mr. Opeda’s land was because “we think that when our mother sold our land the other side, she gave the money to him to go and further his studies.”
Although Opeda brought evidence indicating that the 5 children connived with their late mother to sell their late father’s land, the DRDC said he had to get them somewhere to live since he had kept them from childhood and had nowhere else to go.
“You knew you were marrying a widow and mother of five. I hope you knew you were accepting to take on the responsibility of standing in for these children,” said Baleke as he asked Mr. Opeda to buy them some land in order for them to leave his family land.
Baraza’s other siblings include Nabwiire Annah (26), James Okumu (28) and Mukisa Benard (31).
“I hope whoever is here is learning something out of this. Baraza and your siblings, it is wrong for you to forcefully share your stepfather’s land. You are now grown up and can look for your own property.
But Opeda, you also erred when you looked on as your concubine sold off the only land her children could share. And at her burial, you’d have asked their relatives to go with them since their mother had died but by keeping quiet you were accepting responsibility of them,” further guided Mr. Baleke.
In response, Mr. Opeda offered to give to the five a piece of land in Buswaale Sub county.
“Mr RDC, find a day and we go with you at the land I bought in Buswaale for official handover to these children, ” responded Mr. Opeda attracting a round of applause from the gathering.
Educate children
The DRDC now turned to thevgathering and urged them to educate all children in their household. He said had the five children gone to school they would be knowing that Mr. Opeda only helped to raise them but never was he their father.
“They wouldn’t be here disturbing this old man. Therefore everyone listening to me, go and take children to school.”
Bonaventure Oguttu, the LC III chairman of Banda town council lauded the DRDC for his balanced style of handling issues.
“Please always come and help us to handle these conflicts. Opeda had conflicted with these children for the last 8 years and several interventions yielded nothing but you have come only once and the matter is resolved. God bless you, Mr. Baleke,” prayed Oguttu.
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