Time check: 1:45 am. A loud thud rudely interrupts my otherwise peaceful sleep and sweet dreams and also marks the end of a peaceful Saturday night. I then heard the sound of feet stepping on dry leaves. Then, I realize I was not alone in a house and compound I have stayed alone for the last couple of months.
I quickly check outside my bedroom and behold, I have company. Five men shabbily dressed men. I then realize am in trouble. Five men against one woman – sounds like real trouble.
Plan A: I dialed a friend’s phone which according to MTN “was currently switched off.”
Plan B: I call my big brother who can work with the police to arrest my rude visitors. He promised to do exactly that.
I thought these men wanted my car which was parked direct to my bedroom window and not the car shade as it usually is since my house has no garage. As soon as I talked to my brother, my phone battery went off. I quickly started saying my prayers as I listened to the banging and cutting of wires from my car.
Time check 2:20: Still no police, no sound of a wailing siren, and am stuck with five rude visitors and no phone! I listened carefully to hear the sound of a hissing siren which never came until I reported the case to the “nearest police station” (it is actually about three kilometers away) in the morning.
This surprised me since my home is so accessible unlike many Ugandan homes. Many homes in Uganda lack clear addresses so people have to use either popular landmarks or such things as trees etc. [Don’t get surprised when you hear a statement like “drive along Kabalagala – Muyenga road, turn off to your right at the big tree with huge branches just after the small humps. Such makes Police work really hard.] But even in my case with very clear directions, the Police didn’t appear. Were they sleeping?
Anyway Police or no Police, I thank God am alive. I learnt a few things though.
Your greatest enemies are members of your household. I realized in the morning that the thieves actually used bottles that were in my compound. Imagine they came to steal my car spares unarmed had they not found those bottles!
The Ugandan police is sound asleep as residents are tortured. I was asked to finance them in order for investigations to be carried out! Uganda Police, PLEASE STAND UP!
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