GULU – Kitgum Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced a- 29-year-old man to one month of community service after being found guilty of attempting to inherit his uncle’s wife by force.
The court presided over by Mr Paul Obuya heard that on May 15, Denis Omara threatened to hack Ms Betty Aloyo, 34, with a machete if she did not sleep with him. Ms Aloyo made an alarm, which attracted the neighbours before Omara was arrested.
Magistrate Obuya, in his ruling, said since Omara has been very remorseful throughout the trail and has been on remand for four months, community service was enough sentence for him.
The community services will be done within the court premises for two hours daily.
He warned the convicts to refrain himself from forcefully trying to inherit his late uncle’s wife saying any future act will lead him to get harsh conviction from the court
Police had earlier preferred a case of threatening violence and threatening to cause the body harm.
A source close to the family disclosed that Omara had for long been telling some of his family members and friends of his desire to inherit his late uncle’s wife.
According to the UN, Socio-cultural practices like widow inheritance and polygamy have remained an obstacle to the goal of Uganda’s 2013-2020 HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan which is Zero HIV/ AIDS-related mortality and morbidity. “Widow Inheritance also renders widows powerless in communities thus at risk of losing their property like land to their in-laws,” the UN report adds.
