Wives imprisoned over husbands’ loans
Oct 25, 2010
THE just-released Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) report 2009 has made shocking revelations on how women in Ntungamo district are jailed over the failure of their husbands to pay off loans.
By Josephine Maseruka
THE just-released Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) report 2009 has made shocking revelations on how women in Ntungamo district are jailed over the failure of their husbands to pay off loans.
The commission was informed that most of the loans are from private money lenders who charge very high interest, making it difficult for the borrower to pay back.
“The borrowers, mostly men, upon failing to pay the loan, go into hiding. The wives, who happened to witness the securing of the loans, are arrested, charged and remanded on offences of securing money by false pretence. This is essentially to force their husbands to come out of hiding,†said the report.
The UHRC attributed the detention of women over the loans to ignorance of the law and their rights.
The commission noted that in most prisons inspected, inmates were allowed to practice their faiths and efforts were made by the authorities to allow religion heads to lead them in prayer.
“However, Muslim inmates at Kasangati Prison complained that the authorities disrespected their religion as they are forced to carry pigs and wash their food containers,†the report noted.
But James Tiondi, the officer in charge of the prison, refuted the claims, arguing that the pigs cross to the prisons from the neighbourhood. “We have never asked any Muslim inmate to chase them away. We are going to engage the Police to punish neighbours who cannot take care of their pigs.â€
The commission noted that some Muslim inmates and Seventh Day Adventists in other prisons had said they are forced to work on Fridays and Saturdays respectively, which are their worship days.
The UHRC team found that mosquito nets in all prisons in Karamoja were kept in stores for fear of being used by the inmates to commit suicide.
Whereas most Police detention facilities lacked separate cells for juvenile suspects, at Kaberamaido Police Station, the juvenile cells were utilised as offices for the Police.
Although there were only 17 cases of torture by Prisons authorities this year, compared to 154 against the Police force, UHRC noticed a resurfacing of the vice in most prisons across the country.
The UHRC said the Prisons department had tremendously improved in providing inmates with two or more meals daily, clothing them and sensitising their officers on human rights.
THE just-released Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) report 2009 has made shocking revelations on how women in Ntungamo district are jailed over the failure of their husbands to pay off loans.
The commission was informed that most of the loans are from private money lenders who charge very high interest, making it difficult for the borrower to pay back.
“The borrowers, mostly men, upon failing to pay the loan, go into hiding. The wives, who happened to witness the securing of the loans, are arrested, charged and remanded on offences of securing money by false pretence. This is essentially to force their husbands to come out of hiding,†said the report.
The UHRC attributed the detention of women over the loans to ignorance of the law and their rights.
The commission noted that in most prisons inspected, inmates were allowed to practice their faiths and efforts were made by the authorities to allow religion heads to lead them in prayer.
“However, Muslim inmates at Kasangati Prison complained that the authorities disrespected their religion as they are forced to carry pigs and wash their food containers,†the report noted.
But James Tiondi, the officer in charge of the prison, refuted the claims, arguing that the pigs cross to the prisons from the neighbourhood. “We have never asked any Muslim inmate to chase them away. We are going to engage the Police to punish neighbours who cannot take care of their pigs.â€
The commission noted that some Muslim inmates and Seventh Day Adventists in other prisons had said they are forced to work on Fridays and Saturdays respectively, which are their worship days.
The UHRC team found that mosquito nets in all prisons in Karamoja were kept in stores for fear of being used by the inmates to commit suicide.
Whereas most Police detention facilities lacked separate cells for juvenile suspects, at Kaberamaido Police Station, the juvenile cells were utilised as offices for the Police.
Although there were only 17 cases of torture by Prisons authorities this year, compared to 154 against the Police force, UHRC noticed a resurfacing of the vice in most prisons across the country.
The UHRC said the Prisons department had tremendously improved in providing inmates with two or more meals daily, clothing them and sensitising their officers on human rights.