Metro

Ugandan man with 12 wives, 102 children, cries out for help

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2023

A Ugandan man who has 12 wives, 102 children and 578 grandchildren, has cried out for help as he claims he is struggling to provide for his vast family.

Described as the “Ugandan Father of Nations”, the prolific man, Musa Hasahya Kasera, now feels that “enough is enough” and has vowed to put an end to his procreation.

Hasahya, who is in 68-years-old and currently unemployed, took curious reporters on his journey into his large enclave which has become something of a tourist attraction in his village of Bugisa in Butaleja district, a remote rural area in eastern Uganda, revealing that his wives now take birth control to stop the family expanding further.

“My wives are on contraceptives but I am not. I don’t expect to have more children because I have learnt from my irresponsible act of producing so many children that I can’t look after,” Kasera said.

Kasera said he has so many children that he can’t remember most of their names.

“The challenge is I can only remember the name of my first and the last born but some of the children I can’t recall their names.

“It’s the mothers who help me to identify them.

“At first it was a joke… but now this has become a problem. But with my health failing and merely two acres of land for such a huge family, two of my wives left because I could not afford the basics like food, education, clothing.”

Delving into his journey into having such a large family, Kasera said he started out as a cattle dealer and butcher in the village, his status attracted
many villagers who would offer their daughters’ hand in marriage, even some below the age of 18.

He added that he can’t even recall the names of some of his wives, and has to consult one of his sons, Shaban Magino, a 30-year-old primary school teacher who helps run the family’s affairs and is one of the few to have received an education.

A local official who oversees the Bugisa village, who also spoke to the journalists, said despite the challenges, Kasera has “brought up his children very well” and there had been no cases of theft or fighting for example.

“Many members of Hasahya’s family try to earn money or food by doing chores for their neighbours, or spend their days fetching firewood and water, often travelling long distances on foot,” the official said.

Related Topics:Children Family Featured Uganda

Click to comment

Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

6 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

13 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.