{Some residents of Gicumbi district say that drug abuse especially ‘Kanyanga’ is fuelling the occurrence of domestic violence incidences. }
Following the Rwanda government’s efforts to fight drug abuse, Gicumbi residents at the Rwanda-Uganda , sneak into Uganda from where they consume Kanyanga and cross back to Rwanda beat-drunk and ignite quarrels and domestic fights.
Gicumbi residents have also attributed increased cases of polygamy to such drunkard behavior of men consuming distilled Kanyanga in Uganda.
“Polygamy is increasing which I think is a result of drunkard behaviors. People in this region are used to drinking Kanyanga yet it is dangerous as it blurs people’s sense of judgment. For instance, a man wakes up and goes for hard labor in Uganda and spends the whole wage of the day drinking Kanyanga in Uganda since it is banned in Rwanda. Returning home being drunk, he starts quarreling with the woman and children since he left nothing for food,” said a resident of Gicumbi district, Uwayezu Odette.
Uwayezu said that sometimes men prefer to marry other women with whom they will not get in heated arguments when they return from Uganda with intoxicated judgment.
Some men also accuse some women of drug abuse.
“I often wake up early and cross to Uganda to cultivate my land. However, when I leave home the wife neither cooks nor takes care of the children. She also immediately goes to bars where she stays for the whole day taking alcohol and returns home dead-drunk. Sometimes when I come back from work I go to the bar where she is to bring her back home,” says Sunday Julius.
Julius said that he also drinks Kanyanga but fears that it would expose his life to risks.
“I drink Kanyanga but caution because it is not so kind to the body and judgment.”
The mayor of Gicumbi district, Mudaheranwa Juvenal requests citizens to keep away from drug abuse to avoid its corrosive effects.
Talking about polygamy as result of drunkard behaviors, the mayor said; “No one should feel proud of polygamy. Parents should take on responsibilities of upbringing children in a proper way. The government provided cows. They should drink milk other than Kanyanga,” he said.
He said that the district is going to increase efforts towards eradicating drug abuse through strengthening government’s programs like Akagoroba k’Ababyeyi and mobilizing local leaders to support monitoring programs.
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