Police are actively searching for a 37-year-old man suspected of torturing his wife. The man, identified as David Mugume, allegedly burned his wife, Hajara Nabukalu, with hot water. The incident took place in Kawoko village, Wakiso district.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, reported that Nabukalu was rushed to the hospital last week with severe burn wounds on her back and buttocks. The case is currently being investigated by the Nansana Police Division, and the suspect has not yet been arrested.
Domestic violence is the most common type of gender-based violence in Uganda and manifests in various forms, including femicide, which is the killing of a woman because of her gender. Statistics from the Ministry of Gender indicate that the government loses approximately 18.3 billion Ugandan shillings annually in healthcare costs to address the effects of domestic violence.
Furthermore, Uganda Police spend 19.5 billion shillings, while local councils spend 12.7 billion shillings annually on efforts to combat domestic violence. The total revenue lost by Uganda due to incidents of sexual and gender-based violence between 2012 and 2017 amounted to 0.25% of the national budget, or approximately 20.77 billion dollars (about 74.7 trillion Ugandan shillings).
In an effort to reduce these cases, Samali Wakooli, head of the gender department at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, recently emphasized the need for the swift enactment of the Witness Protection Bill, 2015. This draft legislation aims to provide comprehensive protection for crucial witnesses who face threats or risks due to their cooperation with prosecution and other enforcement agencies.
The proposed law would also establish the Witness Protection Agency, which would create a framework and procedures for offering special protection to individuals possessing important information and facing potential risks or intimidation.
