Here is the face of a typical Ugandan man

It is one of those painful stories that captivate us, and then get lost in the madness we call “the hustle and bustle of life.” But for some, such stories not only leave an imprint of sadness etched onto our souls but are a mirror to what we are as a society.

New Vision reported on this young girl in Kamuli, Rachael Namulondo, who walked for ages just to get to the nearest clinic to collect her ARV’s. She passed away recently because her body could not take the toll that combine, poor feeding and the deadly disease, HIV/Aids. 

Now the walking for kilometres aside, what was quite painful according to the story was the fact that her father had disowned her saying he could not waste his “resources” on someone whose fate was sealed. 

Now here is a plea to our police chiefs; please could you arrest Amuza Lugandha, father to the deceased 17-year-old girl, Namulondo. This is a father who has no clue about compassion, care and love. This is a father who would have you pulling your hair out of your head, wondering how on earth they qualified to be called fathers. However, here is the most disturbing bit about Lugandha; this is a father who in a scary way mirrors many fathers out there in Uganda.

Have you ever witnessed how fathers in villages treat their wives and children? Think of a mix between Saddam Hussein and your close relative who suffers from a mental problem. It is that crazy. The relationship between husband and wife plus children is dominated by abuse of all kinds and neglect of duty.

We are talking about fathers, who beat up their wives in front of the young ones, when they come home late, drunk and the wife has the “audacity” to question whether drunken behaviour from daddy is good for the children. These are fathers, who will stop paying fees for the child feigning lack of money, but come home every day, drunk.

If ever there was abuse that these women organisations that champion for “equal rights” need to address, then it is high time they moved their offices from the air conditioned buildings of Kampala and quickly re-locate in these villages of ours. But it is not the village father that is crazy! No. 

Even the iPad-holding dad, who works in the bank, has some serious mental issues. He might not batter the wife or refuse to pay school fees for the children. But he will sleep with the children’s sitter, maid, intern and that campus lady whom he has been promising a job in the company for the last three years!

We men, have some disturbing issues, when it comes to the way we treat our women and children. It looks like we need psychological help to crack open our brains and try and get to the bottom of failing to even help your dying daughter! God bless the poor soul, Rachael Namulondo.