As eviction looms and poverty deepens, six-year-old Patricia struggles to help care for her disabled grandfather, raising concerns about their welfare, shelter and safety.
MUKONO — At six, Patricia should be playing with other children, learning new things and enjoying the care and protection of adults. Instead, the little girl is trying to help her disabled grandfather prepare food, wash utensils and cope with the daily struggle for survival.
In Kitega Village, Mukono Central Division, Mukono district, Patricia has become an unlikely caregiver to her 62-year-old grandfather, James Kazibwe, whose deteriorating circumstances have left the pair struggling to find shelter and meet their basic needs.
During a visit to their rented room, Patricia was found tending to a charcoal stove and washing utensils, household chores that have become part of her daily routine despite her tender age.
Her grandfather, who has disabilities affecting both legs and one arm, can no longer manage many routine activities without assistance. With no reliable source of income, he increasingly depends on neighbours for food and other necessities.
Now, the little girl’s already difficult circumstances have been compounded by the threat of homelessness after the pair were given two months to vacate the house they have occupied for more than a decade.
For Patricia, the uncertainty over where they will sleep next threatens to deepen a childhood already burdened by responsibilities far beyond her years.
A grandfather’s struggle
Kazibwe said Patricia’s mother left the child in his care, but he no longer knows her whereabouts. He attributed her absence to mental health illness, although this could not be independently established.
With the responsibility of raising his granddaughter resting on his shoulders, Kazibwe said his inability to work has left him struggling to provide even the most basic necessities.
“I am now depending on the kindness of people in the village, who have been giving me food because I can no longer manage to work as I used to,” he said.
Kazibwe previously survived on repairing shoes, a trade that enabled him to support himself. However, an accident in which he broke the arm he used for the work left him unable to continue earning an income.
The loss of his livelihood gradually pushed him into financial hardship, making it difficult to pay rent and provide for Patricia.
He said he could no longer afford the monthly rent of sh80,000 after the accident left him unable to work.
With no savings or dependable source of income, Kazibwe said he had reached a point where he could no longer determine how to secure a stable home for himself and his granddaughter.
“I do not have the money to put up the temporary house. I appeal to well-wishers to help me so that I can have somewhere to live with my granddaughter,” he said.
Landlord offers alternative shelter
Maureen Nakachwa, Kazibwe’s landlord, said he had occupied her house for 17 years, during which he paid rent for only three years.
She said she had allowed him to remain in the house without paying rent for the other years, but her financial circumstances had since changed, forcing her to seek income from the property to support her children.
Nakachwa said she had given Kazibwe two months to vacate the premises but had also offered him an alternative piece of land where he could construct a temporary shelter.
Police Officer Shoots Himself Dead at Namanve Industrial Park
She showed the proposed site, but Kazibwe said he lacked the money to purchase construction materials and pay for the work.
Nakachwa also appealed to well-wishers to support the elderly man and his granddaughter, acknowledging the difficult circumstances they were facing.
Her offer of alternative space could provide a starting point for the family, but without financial assistance, Kazibwe said he remained unable to turn it into a habitable shelter.
Neighbours reach their limit
Residents have been helping the pair with food and other necessities, but their support has not been enough to resolve the family’s shelter crisis.
Susan Mayanja Ssezibwa, the village secretary for women, said the community had done what it could, but its limited resources had made it difficult to provide sustained assistance.
She said residents decided to bring Kazibwe’s plight to public attention in the hope that individuals, organisations and other well-wishers could help him construct a temporary house and improve Patricia’s living conditions.
“We have tried to do what we can as a community, but our resources are limited. That is why we decided to bring his situation to the attention of the public so that other people who are able to help can come forward,” she said.
Dan Magala, a resident, criticised local leaders and other authorities for what he described as their silence over the family’s situation.
He called for intervention by local leaders and relevant authorities, saying the community alone could not adequately address the family’s needs.
A childhood at risk
Beyond the immediate challenge of finding shelter, Patricia’s circumstances raise concerns about the welfare of a young child living with a caregiver who is physically disabled and financially distressed.
At an age when she needs consistent adult supervision, protection and support, Patricia is already attempting to help manage household responsibilities while her grandfather struggles to meet their basic needs.
Residents say no authority has assessed her welfare despite concerns about the family’s living conditions and the absence of her mother.
The immediate priorities are to help the pair secure safe accommodation, ensure that Kazibwe receives appropriate support and establish whether Patricia is receiving the care and protection she needs.
The intervention of social welfare authorities could also help assess the child’s circumstances and identify suitable support for both her and her grandfather.
For now, the family is relying on the goodwill of neighbours while hoping that the wider community will respond before their eviction deadline expires.
Residents are appealing to well-wishers, charitable organisations and relevant authorities to help Kazibwe construct a temporary home and ensure that Patricia can grow up in a safer environment, rather than shoulder responsibilities that should rest with adults.
Those willing to assist Kazibwe can contact him on 0757 116 016.
