Residents in the areas of Karamoja have been advised to respect their dead relatives and accord them the respect of burying their remains.
The advice was sounded by Rev. Samuel Ngorok, the Sub Dean of St. Phillips Church of Uganda Moroto who called for stringent measures to compel residents to bury their departed relatives.
According to the Reverend, some people in Karamoja fear to associate with the dead, and always find reasons to miss their relatives’ burials.
He adds that in the past, whenever a relative passed on, people in that area would scatter and migrate, saying demise is a sign of disaster, leaving corpses to decompose in the open.
It is also said that in some cases, bodies of children would be thrown in the rivers or be abandoned for vultures to feast on, while others are left at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital.
The facility is still struggling with unclaimed bodies.
Godfrey Mawa the Principal Hospital Administrator says relatives start running away from patients the moment their health condition deteriorates, and that even after improvising a pick-up for transporting corpses, a few people show up to claim their departed relatives.
This is why Rev. Ngorok is calling for action to compel people in the region to bury their loved ones. He was presiding over a funeral mass at Olilim Village, Palam Sub County in Katakwi district for the burial of Jennifer Akino, when the cleric was amazed by the orderliness given to the dead.
This was after about 20 members of the clan were subjected to lashes by the clan authorities after they were rounded up from different places for attempting to dodge the burial.
The cleric observed that such measures should be used in Karamoja to help communities respect the dead.
“I have discovered that it is a sign of unity and cooperation in a community, and if people can learn and continue the way Teso people are doing as I have seen, it would be a unifying factor. This is when someone can come and join you in terms of happiness and sorrow. When I saw those who were reluctant being beaten, I was appreciative” the Reverend said.
According to Joseph Aede, the Atekok Imongora County Clan Chief they came up with such measures to enforce discipline and order among the clan members especially during death.
The clan head says that before the penalties, most of the clan members would dodge burials, leaving the burden to the bereaved family.
