Local Council 1 Chairpersons who take bribes to authorize the illegal sale of family land in Kabale district are to blame for the rampant cases of domestic violence. This came up during a community dialogue held at Kasheregyenyi Church of Uganda in Kamuganguzi Subcounty in Kabale District to discuss Gender Based Violence (GBV).
The Forum For Women in Democracy (FOWEDE), a Non-Governmental Organization organised the dialogue under a three-year Gender Accountability and Peace project (GAPP) being implemented in Kamuganguzi and Buhara Sub counties.
During the dialogue, some women accused men of conniving with LC 1 Chairpersons to authorize the sale of family land without the consent of their wives. Others said that some men attack their wives with machetes threatening to kill them if they refuse to sign the land sale agreements.
The women claimed that after selling the family land in most cases, the men blow up the money-consuming alcohol leaving the rest of the family homeless and suffering in poverty.
The Kamuganguzi Subcounty LC V Male Councilor, Alex Owamanani confirmed receiving complaints about LC 1 Chairmen demanding money before attending to land complaints. He also noted that the village Chairmen were reluctant on settling land disputes because of next year’s election.
The Kabale District Probation Officer Monica Muhumuza Nzeirwe the top political leader to reign on the Corrupt LC.1 Chairpersons who were compromising with fellow men after making land deals in bars over glasses of alcohol.
The officer in charge of the Family and Child Protection Unit at Kabale Central Police station, Margret Kamiranga asked the women to always report Corrupt LC 1 Chairpersons to higher local authorities such as the Police and Subcounty Chief for appropriate action.
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. She also said that they had identified male champions in each parish to help in reaching out to the men with messages against GBV.