14-year-old struggles to support her three siblings
Jivia Namukose prepares a meal for her siblings at their home in Lusenke Village, Busaana Sub-county in Kayunga District on June 6, 2025. PHOTO/FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- Namukose and her siblings were abandoned by their parents four years ago following serious marital conflicts.
While many children spent Idd al-Adha celebrating with their families, 14-year-old Jovia Namukose from Lusenke Village, Busaana Sub-county in Kayunga District, was toiling in a neighbour’s garden to earn Shs10,000.
Her goal: to feed her three younger siblings. As Namukose braved the sweltering afternoon heat, her siblings were at home preparing a simple meal of cassava and silverfish (mukene) for the holiday. Despite the burden on her young shoulders, Namukose carried on with determination. That same day, Mr Collins Kafeero, the Kayunga District probation officer, visited the family accompanied by a team of journalists. They brought assorted food items and supplies to support the struggling children.
Namukose and her siblings, Mwesigwa Kitamirike (4), Dorcus Nakisige (6), and Mariam Nonsiyata (8), were abandoned by their parents four years ago following serious marital conflicts. The children now live alone in a mud-and-wattle house, with Namukose acting as the head of the household. “When our parents fought one night in 2021, I didn’t think much of it,” Namukose recounted.
“But the next morning, my mother packed her belongings and left. I thought she was going to wash clothes, but she never returned,” she added. A month later, their father, a habitual drunkard, also left and moved in with another woman in Kiwooza Village. He earns a living by sharpening knives and other tools.
At the time of their abandonment, the youngest child, Mwesigwa, was just four months old. Namukose dropped out of school for two years to care for him. Now back in school in Primary Seven, she continues to juggle domestic responsibilities and academics.
Mwesigwa has since joined Baby Class, while Dorcus and Mariam are in Primary Three at the nearby Lusenke Primary School under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme. “I do casual work like digging and fetching water to earn money. I use it to buy food and books and to pay for school meals,” Namukose explained.
Herbal treatment
When her siblings fall sick, Namukose turns to herbal medicine from nearby bushes. “Luckily, they usually recover,” she said.
Mr Kafeero said he was alerted to the family’s dire situation by the Busaana Sub-county Community Development Officer.
“What I’ve found here is heartbreaking. How can parents abandon their children like this?” he said during his visit.
A neighbour told the probation officer that the children’s father, Sabasi Mawerere, recently returned to the village and rented out a large portion of the family land to a local rice farmer.
Mr Kafeero condemned the move and instructed local leaders to safeguard the land for the children’s use. Namukose’s days begin as early as 3am.
“I wake up to prepare lunch for my siblings before going to school. When they return at 1pm, the food is ready,” she said.
Despite her resilience, Namukose faces an uncertain future. She has not yet paid her Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) registration fee.
“I fear I might miss the exams. My dream is to become a doctor,” she said. Security is another concern. “Sometimes strangers knock at our door late at night. It’s scary,” she added.
Mr Muhammad Mbalagaza, the Lusenke Village chairperson, confirmed that the children’s parents had long-standing domestic problems.
“Namukose once asked me for help with school materials, but I was financially constrained,” he said.
The family has no close relatives to rely on, further compounding their vulnerability.
Mr Kafeero decried the growing number of child-headed families in the district, attributing the trend to poverty, domestic violence, and parental neglect. He vowed to trace and prosecute the parents for child abandonment.
Background
In Uganda, child headed households, often formed when parents die, migrate, or abandon their children, are an increasingly common, yet deeply vulnerable, phenomenon.
Many of these families are caught in a cycle of poverty, as young adolescents take on adult responsibilities: securing food, basic shelter, health, and schooling for younger siblings, often at the expense of their own education and wellbeing.
To reach out to the family, please get in touch with our reporter, Mr Fred Muzaale, on (+256)780606030
