A mother of triplets has appealed for help from leaders and well-wishers after her husband allegedly abandoned her and their children shortly after she gave birth.
Shakira Namudira, 35, was found at the Mayuge District headquarters seeking assistance after months of struggling to provide for her three babies.
Visibly distressed, Namudira said her situation worsened after her husband, identified as Abdul, a resident of Matale in Buikwe District, disappeared upon learning that she had delivered triplets.
Namudira said she was informed during antenatal care that she was carrying three babies. When she shared the news with her husband, she said he told her he did not have the means to raise three children.
She said she had hoped they would find a way forward, but her husband later disappeared after she delivered.
According to Namudira, she initially went into labour at a health facility in Buikwe District, where she was asked to pay Shs300,000 before receiving care. Because they could not raise the money, she was referred to Iganga General Hospital in Mayuge District.
At Iganga General Hospital, doctors reportedly found that she and the babies were exhausted and that one of the babies had developed complications requiring urgent medical intervention.
Namudira said relatives contributed Shs200,000 needed for medication, allowing doctors to successfully perform the emergency procedure.
After the delivery, she said hospital staff contacted Abdul to inform him that she had given birth to triplets. She alleges that after receiving the news, he switched off his phone, left it behind at home and disappeared.
Namudira says it has now been six months since she last saw her husband. She has since relied on support from relatives, but their limited resources have made it increasingly difficult to provide necessities such as milk for the babies.
With the situation becoming unbearable, Namudira went to the Mayuge District headquarters hoping leaders would help her access counselling, support services or find a way to improve her situation.
She said she arrived early at the district offices but did not receive the assistance she had hoped for.
Namudira appealed to well-wishers and authorities to help her care for her children and secure a stable future for them.
She said she has skills in hairdressing and would be able to support her family if she received assistance to start a small business.
"I can weave hair and work to support my children, but I currently have no salon and no capital to begin. Any support to help me start a small business would enable me to take care of my children," she said.
