Leaders in Lira City have called for stronger cooperation between men and women, greater support for vulnerable children and responsible decision-making among young people as they paid tribute to Amito Winny, a 27-year-old mother who died after childbirth complications.
The calls were made on Saturday during the burial of Amito Winny at Anai-Wigweng Cell in Lira City West Division, where mourners also raised concerns about women’s economic vulnerability, teenage and youth relationships, and the need for families and communities to take greater responsibility for their members.
Patricia Aceng Ogwang, a former Lira City Woman Member of Parliament aspirant and Executive Director of Wanacel Foundation, cited findings from a 2021 Uganda Bureau of Statistics survey on violence against women and girls, which she said showed that about 47% of women in Uganda had experienced economic violence.
According to Aceng, the survey found that 25% of women had partners who refused to provide money for household expenses, while 23% were forced to surrender their earnings to their partners. Another 10% had reportedly abandoned paid employment because their partners would not allow them to work.
Aceng also referred to guidance from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in 2024, encouraging men to work alongside women as partners and pillars of their families and communities. She urged men and women to strengthen collaboration rather than operate separately, saying such cooperation is essential for families and communities to thrive.
Lira City West Division Mayor Emmanuel Ebong Opeto urged parents not to keep learners at home as schools prepare to open for the third term on Monday. He also attributed Winny’s death to what he described as negligence linked to her involvement with an irresponsible partner.
Opeto cautioned young people against rushing into unproductive relationships at the expense of their education and economic prospects. He encouraged them to prioritise education, work hard, and establish themselves financially before committing themselves to relationships.
The burial also brought renewed attention to the long-running dispute involving people affected by the proposed Anai Airport project. Anthony Ojuka, chairperson of the Anai Airport Project Affected Persons, said that about 2,000 households had been affected by the project.
Ojuka said the matter is scheduled to return to court in December but added that the parties had also opted for mediation after court directed His Highness Won Nyaci Eng. Dr Moses Michael Odongo to appoint a mediator to help resolve differences between the affected households, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Lira City Land Board. He said the affected persons were pursuing mediation because they wanted their concerns addressed without frustrating the airport project, which they said was important to the area’s development.
Boniface Odongo, representing the Awitong of Arak-Ongoda clan, urged families and communities to take responsibility for caring for orphans and ensuring that losing parents does not condemn children to an uncertain future.
Odongo said every child deserves an opportunity to build a future despite losing their parents. He also criticised what he described as a growing tendency among some people in Lango to avoid taking responsibility and called for stronger ties between Okarowok Wibyeacel clan, where Winny’s husband came from, and Arak-Ongoda clan, her maternal clan.
Amito Winny was born on September 23, 1999, and died on September 6, 2026, after developing sepsis following a Caesarean section at Lira Regional Referral Hospital. She had undergone the procedure after being unable to deliver normally.