Mourners want man to wed corpse

Feb 04, 2002

All mourners, including clergymen, were armed to the teeth. They wielded spears and machetes (pangas), instead of Bibles.

By Amlan Tumusiime in HoimaAll mourners, including clergymen, were armed to the teeth. They wielded spears and machetes (pangas), instead of Bibles. For five days since last Monday, the decomposing body of Grace Nanyol had been firmly locked up in the grass-thatched hut in the remote village of Kasokero in Kyabigambire, Hoima. Her relatives who hail from Kitgum had vowed to kill, even if it meant killing the whole village, if anyone so much as attempted to bury her. And by yesterday the Police were still guarding and patroling the village fearing a surprise revenge attack on the villagers.A stench of death engulfed the village forcing some residents to petition the Police to order a burial. Nanyol, a 28-year-old mother of two, had allegedly been murdered by her partner, and her relatives had insisted the fugitive must be found and forced to “marry” the dead woman. Nanyol’s crime was going to the market without getting permission from her suspected murderer, Simon Muhumuza.The dead woman’s relatives said they were waiting for their kin from Kitgum to come so that Muhumuza could be found to marry Nanyol’s remains. If Muhumuza is not found, then his relatives were to be forced to pay the dowry and “marry” her.“We held a meeting with them (deceased’s relatives) but they said that if we attempted to bury their daughter, they would fight and kill us,” the area LC2 chairperson, Teddy Kaahwa, said. Muhumuza is on the run together with his second wife. Nanyol’s relatives accuse this woman of conspiring with her husband to murder her co-wife.Heavily armed police personnel under the command of the Deputy Operations Officer Hoima, Pasco Ochero deployed in the home and every route leading there to enable the villagers bury the woman on Friday without incident. The armed mourners in turn also vowed to strike back if Nanyol’s kin attacked them. Of Muhumuza’s relatives, only the father and mother attended the burial. The frustrated clergy could not say prayers for Nanyol out of fear that the relatives would attack as they prayed. One of them said the deceased had been a devout Catholic, attended church regularly and had participated in religious activities.Her shallow grave was dug hurriedly. Each mourner would throw some grains of soil into the grave as is the custom and immediately run back to safety at a vantage position in case the relatives of the deceased attacked. Tension in the village is still high. Since Nanyol’s murder, the villagers especially those near the deceased’s home have taken their children to far off places because of the fear of reprisal attacks. The villagers the New Vision talked to said that they wanted to get their children out of harm’s way in case fighting broke out.Nanyol’s relatives are still waiting for their kin to come down from Kitgum district.

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