Two Busia men hospitalised after attack by female gangs

Two men are nursing injuries at Busia Health Centre IV in Busia District, after they were allegedly tortured by a gang of women at the weekend.

Abdu Lubaale, 24, who is also known as “Ssalongo”, 24, and another, only identified as Ssebufu, 22, were reportedly beaten in separate incidences in Mawero East ‘B’ village, Eastern Division, Busia municipality.

Lubaale, a manicurist hailing from Bumana village in Luuka District, had come to Busia Town to eke a living when he was reportedly attacked and beaten by five female brewers of local brew (malwa), while heading to a lodging facility he had been booked into.

“I was going to my room when about five women attacked me at the entrance to the lodge on Sunday night,” Lubaale said on Monday, as he lay on his hospital bed at Busia Health Centre IV.

According to Lubaale, the stick-wielding female assailants accused him of being among thieves who are behind the disappearance of their yeast, an ingredient used in fermenting the local brew.

Lubaale said all his pleas of innocence were ignored by the female gang, who continued torturing him until he collapsed.

“I have just realised that I am here (in hospital); the last thing I remember, is when I was pleading to the women to spare my life,” he added.

Ssebufu, who is admitted in the same facility, said he was beaten by two women he owed Shs40,000.

He said the women had earlier come to his house in Mawero East ‘B’ Village and forcefully picked one of his chickens, despite pleading with them while promising to repay “within a short period of time”.

However, he says the women reportedly descended on him with “big sticks”, beat him and left him for dead before he was rushed to hospital by Good Samaritans.

Mawero East ‘B’ village Defense Secretary, Simon Wandera, says cases of women assaulting men have become common, adding that he helped in rescuing Lubaale from the scene (Teso Inn) after he had been dumped and left for dead, and took him to hospital.

He said: “I received information on Monday morning that a group of women had attacked a man who was in critical condition.”

Wandera says Teso Inn is known for brewing and drinking malwa, and it is where Lubaale was tortured.

Some women, however, told this publication that they had resorted to violence after the area was hit by cases of theft of their yeast.

Harriet Alupo, one of the women, said she lost ten packs of yeast on Sunday night after thieves struck while she was asleep, the reason they don’t want to see any “suspicious person” in the area.

Alupo says their yeast is stolen on almost a daily basis and have resorted to beating whoever they suspect of being a thief.

“We brew malwa to support our families and pay school fees for our children and are in pain when our yeast is stolen,” she added.

Tables turned

Busia District Community Development Officer, Semu Okumu, said there is a surge in the number of cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) involving men being beaten by their spouses.

“Formerly,” he said, “the majority of cases of GBV being reported to our office were by women, but the trend has changed as some men are coming up to report being abused by their wives.”

He cited a case last week in which a man had reported to his office, complaining that his wife had chased him out of his house and was bringing other men in their matrimonial bed.

He said complaints of women denying their husbands conjugal rights, have also made the cut, adding that because of gender stereotypes, more men are victims of GBV violence but don’t report because of fear of being looked as “societal misfits”.

Okumu attributed the high cases of harassment of men to more women getting in workspaces at the expense of their male counterparts and immorality.

Bukedi Region Police spokesperson Moses Mugwe, said whereas more men are being physically assaulted by women or husbands being exposed to all form of harassment by the wives, they hardly file formal complaints or press charges.

Mugwe says the few cases of men complaining of harassment by their wives have involved neighbours who report to police to report, but not the victims themselves.