Masaka machete gang survivor lives in pigsty

Mr Fred Bukenya, 37, a father of eight, together with his wife have been sleeping in a pigsty for the past six months.
Members of his family, who are residents of Nabyewanga Village, Kkingo Sub-county in Lwengo District, are among survivors of last year’s machete attacks in Greater Masaka area.
Mr Bukenya says his family has continued to sleep in the pigsty after their house was torched by suspected machete-wielding thugs on August 28, 2021.
“I was inside the home together with my children and we only survived by the grace of God, one of my sons who was injured with serious fire burns is slowly recovering,” he reminisces.

“My biggest worry is how I am going to raise my children in a pigsty and sustain their livelihoods,” he adds.
On the eve of the fateful night, Mr Bukenya says he had stocked cassava, which he was supposed to take at the grinding mill machine to process  posho which would feed them for at least six months but it also got burnt.
“I want to reconstruct my house, but still it requires money which I don’t have now,” he says.
He says his seven-year-old son started developing frequent fevers, which he attributes to sleeping in a cold pigsty.
Before the attack, Mr Bukenya says he was a mechanic, but his entire toolbox was burnt inside the house, leaving him jobless.

Among other items he lost in the fire include a motorcycle, National IDs, and baptism cards for children, which he says will be difficult to be replaced.
The machete-wielding thugs, who attacked various districts in Greater Masaka for nearly two months (July-August) last year, left at least 28 people dead.
Ms Resty Namagembe, the wife of Mr Bukenya, says as the rainy season sets in, she is worried that her children may contract diseases.
“Sometimes we think that snakes and other harmful animals may attack us during the night,” Ms Namagembe adds.
She notes that some well-wishers had promised to provide them with items such as bricks and iron sheets but they have not honoured their pledges yet.

Bukenya’s current standing
Mr Bukenya, however, says he is working hard to at least erect a simple house where he can accommodate his family.
“I currently do some old jobs such as digging in people’s gardens and I am sure I will slowly raise some money to erect another house,” he says.
Lwengo District chairperson Ibrahim Kitatta says he has on several occasions visited Mr Bukenya’s family and they are living in a terrible state. “I usually give them the little support I can, but they are living in an appalling state, what is worrying is the young children who may easily contract diseases,” he says.

Lwengo Resident District Commissioner Herman Ssentongo advises Mr Bukenya to go to his office and see how the government can assist him. “Our focus of late has been on restoring peace and sanity in Lwengo before tackling other challenges caused by the infamous attacks of July-August 2021,” he says.