It’s a hard knock life for an officer’s wife

Florence is a mother of nine and has been staying in Naguru Barracks for about 20 years. Her husband joined the Uganda Police Force in 1987, when he had just married her at the age of 16. She was four months pregnant. “My husband looked at police as the only option for a good job because we wanted to escape the nerve wrecking village life,” Florence, a Senior Five dropout, narrated. She says her husband still earns Shs280, 000 per month which is less than what many of his juniors earn despite his promotion.

During the 2006 campaigns, President Museveni promised the Force development projects to generate some income for their livelihood. Consequently, when the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) was rolled out, they too were beneficiaries.

“We were urged to form smaller groups that could easily receive loans, build chicken coops, among other requirements, which we all ensured, but ever since then nothing has come of it, Florence said, adding that, she actually turned the chicken coop into a house for her adolescent boys.

One wife named Jane informed that, they moved to Kampala about three years ago after her husband had been recruited into the force from Masindi Training School, however on reaching here, she almost went back to the village, but it was impossible because she was sixmonths pregnant.
“I don’t know which human on earth made such an order that we be brought here, because the place is completely sickening”, Janet says, adding that they are congested

and share rooms, “an environment not good for raising children”. All officers’ families within are entitled to a daily 3 kilogrammes of posho and beans, which came to pass. The wives, however, report that, the officers in charge of this distribution shifted tactics and started selling the food instead, leaving the poverty-stricken wives with the only option of buying in the markets.

In revelation, other wives also claimed not to be in position to sending their children to better schools and to Universities, yet families are required to “dispose” any child above 18 years of age from the barracks.

Because of such hardships, the husbands have turned their frustration on their wives, beating them, abusing them, and even cheating on them with the female cops.
“My husband behaves strange when he returns from work, he mistreats me and even says they (female cops) do things I cannot do,” one wife said at a meeting called on November 17 by the IGP following the strike, an assertion supported by other wives.

The officers’ wives also pointed out that the police women both in and out of the barracks are “protecting and serving” their husbands, instead of duty calls, which calls for urgent remedy. Because salaries are inadequate, the wives have resorted to private businesses like selling bananas, roasted maize, among others to support their families. With such grievances and others, it was just about time for an eruption.

Light at the end of the tunnel
The IGP promised better services to the wives beating the drums of hope that the force works on a budget of Shs394 billion with the biggest expenditure going to salaries, which he said, was the reason the rehabilitation of the barracks had not taken effect.

With some of the senior officials present, the police boss tasked them to construct new pit-latrines, ensure that all the garbage is collected from the barracks while a contractor to build the new apartments is sought.

Among other problems the IGP promised to address urgently are; promotions, salary increments and salary delays, barracks, health facilities, the increased crime rate and civilians staying in the barracks while enjoying and straining the little resources available.

But just as any other civil servants who are grappling over the paltry salaries and the poor living conditions, police officers have got their fair share over time and are likely to continued decrying the abominable life in the barracks.

musisif@ug.nationmedia.com