Moving on after losing an arm to a violent husband

Juliet Nanvubya , 25, is struggling to come to terms with life’s reality as a disabled person after her husband cut off her left arm following a disagreement on August 23.

Nanvubya, now a widow after her husband (attacker) identified as Faustine Byakatonda was lynched by an irate mob has an 18 -month -old baby. She is also four months pregnant.

By luck, her baby 18-month-old baby boy, who was strapped on her back at the time of the assault, survived the wrath of her husband who claimed that he had decided to kill Nanvubya because she had refused to go back to their matrimonial home after a domestic misunderstanding in July despite interventions by the area local council chairperson.

A tearful Nanvubya who still experiences trauma as a result of the brutal attack on her life, is still undergoing routine treatment at Nakaseke Hospital, but is in urgent need of both material and moral support including counselling to enable her resettle and begin a new life with her baby.

Ntumwa Matovu , the Nakaseke Hospital Administrator, who first attended to Nanvubya at the hospital on August 23, says her life is out of danger and she can be discharged and be followed up with routine medical checkups. Nanvubya has moved to her mother’s home just 9kms from Nakaseke hospital.

“Nanvubya is in urgent need of both financial and material support. She has undergone treatment and can get back to the community but her life is not the same. She is now a disabled person who cannot do the normal work she used to do.

This is the very reason we are trying hard to mobilise clothing and some financial aid to help her kick-start a new life,” Ntumwa said while handing over clothing and Shs400,000 donated by well-wishers. Ntumwa pledged that the hospital would offer Nanvubya antenatal care at the facility’s private wing, free of charge.

Domestic violence is rampant in Nakaseke District, according to Ntumwa. “We receive at least three cases of domestic violence every week turning up for medical attention. “The case of Nanvubya was alarming.

We decided to relocate her to Mulago Hospital where she was rushed to the theatre. This is how Nanvubya managed to survive. She had lost a lot of blood and had deep cuts on the head.”

Nanvubya’s story
“I got married to Byakatonda in 2013 and we had lived a happy life until 2015 when he suddenly changed his lifestyle. He began smoking opium and chewing raw tobacco. He started to pick fights with me, usually threatening to cut me to pieces.

Byakatonda in April 2016 started coming back home late after spending most of his time at the different bars.

He could shout on top of his voice and bang the door at about 1am after leaving the bar and start accusing me of committing adultery. He would then spend the early hours of the day quiet without talking to me even when I tried to greet him.

He would then tell me that he is not afraid of death and will at one time kill somebody in his home. These threats became very frequent which forced me to alert the Local Council Chairperson ‘Mustafa’ including my mother, among other relatives. The Local Council committee talked to him but his behaviour did not change.

The incident
In June 2016, Byakatonda assaulted me after accusing me of committing adultery. He threatened to hack me into pieces using a machete. I talked to my mother, Margaret Nandaula about the threats on my life before relocating back to her home with my baby.

On the fateful day, Byakatonda came to my mother’s home and asked to take me back to his home. My refusal to heed to his request did not go well with him. He threatened to take his life right there inside the house of my mother.

Then suddenly, he pulled out a machete and attacked me. My younger brother who saw him pull out a machete with intention to hack me ran out of the house to alert the people in the neighbourhood. Byakatonda quickly sneaked out of the house, living me and the baby lying un conscious in a pool of blood as a result of the assault.

Life afterwards
I only learnt about the death of Byakatonda four days after the incident. He had been lynched by a mob which had mounted a search and found him hiding in a garden on the night of August 23 after hearing a rumour that I had died in hospital.
“I used to dig and do farm work, but my capacity to do all this work has been complicated.

If I had the financial capacity, I think I would try to start up a poultry project. I need to start a new life as a disabled person and fend for my baby,” Nanvubya said in an interview.

NOTHING NEW
Joan Luswata, the Nakaseke District probation officer says domestic violence and child abuse cases are the most reported cases in hisoffice. “The number of cases involving domestic violence are many but few are brought to the attention of authorities such as the police.

We are currently involved in sensitisation to ensure that all child abuse and domestic violence cases are reported to authorities.

Whilewe register child abuse cases, the statistics about domestic violence do not directly come to the district probation office. We only get to learn about the few cases that get reported to the police.”

Nanvubya can be reached on 0772670036.