Luuka officials raise alarm over domestic violence against men

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Authorities in Luuka district have expressed concern over the high number of cases of torture and domestic violence allegedly committed by women against their husbands, with many men suffering in silence.

According to the district senior probation officer, Mwajuma Kwegemya, unlike in many other districts where women are the primary victims of domestic violence, the situation in Luuka is reportedly different.

She said male victims often suffer silently without reporting to authorities due to fear.

Kwegemya stated that male victims account for about 40 percent of domestic violence cases in the district, yet only 1 percent report their cases to her office or other authorities for intervention.

She noted that some of the abuse reported includes beatings, denial of conjugal rights and grabbing of property, especially land claimed as belonging to the children.

She made the remarks during a community sensitisation meeting aimed at combating crime, held on February 21, 2026, at Buwologoma village in Bukanga subcounty.

The meeting was attended by stakeholders from the police, community civil servants and Redeem International, a non-governmental organisation advocating for the rights of widows and orphans.

Kwegemya asserted that despite the high number of victims, only about three men report to her office for assistance. She said some men abandon their homes while others end up committing suicide.

She appealed to victims to overcome fear and shyness and report their grievances for intervention. She added that those who are uncomfortable reporting to her could approach her deputy, who is male.

The claims were echoed by local leaders and some men who said they endure abuse from their wives but choose to remain silent and carry on with life.

Safe Butanda, a resident, narrated how his sister-in-law allegedly chased his brother, Robert Butanda, from his own house after divorcing him and marrying another man for a year.

Butanda said his brother’s wife divorced him and married another man in Busalamu town council, where she gave birth to a child. However, when she learnt that his brother had remarried, she reportedly returned and evicted him and his new wife from the house.

He added that the couple temporarily moved into a chicken coop, but she later chased them away again. They are now renting elsewhere, and his brother is reportedly unable to access his house, built on clan land.

Other men shared accounts of alleged mistreatment by their wives, but said they fear reporting the matter to authorities because of the confidential nature of some issues and fear of ridicule in the community.

Meanwhile, Doreen Nandera, a legal officer with Redeem International, sensitised residents on the rights of widows and orphans regarding inheritance of their parents’ property.

She emphasised that orphans and widows are first in line to benefit from a deceased person’s property and warned heirs and clan leaders against grabbing such property, noting that offenders are liable to prosecution.

The organisation’s coordinator, Henry Anthony Wabwiire, said they collaborated with authorities in the sensitisation programme to educate residents about the law, prevent arrests due to ignorance and create avenues for victims to seek help.

Luuka district police commander SP Diana Namutunzi urged residents to report any form of violation or crime to the police for action.

She cautioned residents to be law-abiding and avoid taking the law into their own hands to prevent arrest and prosecution.

District police community liaison officer Andrew Gubi pledged to organise more sensitisation meetings to address various crimes in the community. He appealed to residents and local leaders to attend in large numbers to learn and avoid actions that could land them in trouble.

Participants welcomed the sensitisation programme and called for more engagements, saying it had empowered them to report violations and better understand the law.