Injustice

I am discovering a theme this trip to Uganda: Abuse of Power. Injustice. Heartbreak.

This theme is not novel to me. Not in America. Not in Uganda. Not in the world in general. In fact, over the course of my experiences and my studies, the injustice I have encountered has become so common place – so blatant, even – as to no longer elicit shock. Injustice is ever-present, ever-threatening, ever-familiar in this world. Though I have become accustom to its horror, it still provokes both deep compassion and righteous anger.

Biajo has worked on our home compound in Kampala since the first WorldVenture employees began living there at least 8 years ago. He is the day gate man and also does many small jobs around the property. He works 12 hours a day, six or seven days per week, and makes about $60 per month. (His work schedule and salary are set by the landlord, though the tenets have advocated successfully in the past on Biajo’s behalf for better pay and a day off.) His family lives in the village of Lugazi, approximately 80 miles from Kampala. He has a wife and seven children, some of whom are now grown. Because of his work schedule and the cost of transportation, he travels home to the village only about once or twice a month to see his family. I know it is difficult for him to have his family so far away, though he complains little. He must now be approaching 60 years old, and has worked hard for many years to ensure that his family is able to live adequately in the village.

A few weeks ago, Biajo’s eighteen year old son, Ronald, was imprisoned based on false charges brought forward by a profiteering man from the family’s village. While the details are too lengthy to explain here, the boy did make some potentially bad decisions but did not commit any crimes. Nonetheless, the man saw an opportunity to profit and thus used his connections in the local police to have Ronald arrested. Instead of being brought before a judge within 48 hours for arraignment, the man bribed the police to keep Ronald in jail for nearly two weeks. During this time, he began to extort Biajo’s family for large sums of money and threatened that if they did not pay him what he asked, he would ensure that they boy was convicted and imprisoned for a long time. The initial amount that the man demanded was more than Biajo makes in an entire month. He then began to increase the amount with each passing day that the family did not pay.

Biajo could not go to the police (who had already been bribed by the man) and he did not have any connections with anyone “higher up” to advocate on his behalf. In addition, information about the case had been falsified in the official documents, again because those documenting the information had been bribed. Biajo did not have the money to pay the man what he asked, and even if he had paid him, the man would have only asked for more money after the initial bribe was paid. It was an extremely frustrating situation – one that was clearly wrong, but which no one had any power to change.

Biajo was overcome with worry. He could not afford bribes, lawyer fees, or court costs. And his son was sitting in a jail, though innocent. He fretted as only a father could about his children. Though he performed his duties as usual around the compound, the burden he felt was readily apparent to those who knew him well.

After two weeks, the man became enraged that the family had not paid the money he had demanded. He had Ronald transferred to the district court where he had other connections. The case is a small one that should have been heard in the local courts, but by transferring the case to the district courts, the man hopes that he will be able to buy his way to a guilty verdict. The boy was finally released last week after Biajo’s family borrowed money to pay a lawyer to bribe the court officials at the boy’s arraignment hearing. (That’s just how things work here.) The amount of money they paid was small compared to what the other man was seeking to extort from them, but still far too much for them to be able to afford. They had spent every shilling that they owned, and then some, to try to get the boy out of jail and no longer even had any money for food. And the lawyers that had helped with the boy’s arraignment were demanding their payment.

Thankfully, a “Good Samaritan” from the States provided some money to the family to pay their initial lawyer fees (less than $100) after hearing from me about the situation. Ronald is now in Kampala living with his father until his case is officially heard in court on September 5^th. (The man in the village has threatened to kill Ronald if he returns to the village.) Though Ronald is innocent of any crime, the fact that this man has paid to have documents falsified and also has friends in the court system is a very bad omen. The crime of which Ronald is accused is minor, yet the man is advocating for the boy to be imprisoned for 20 years. Murderers are often given less. If Ronald is convicted and goes to jail, Biajo told me that he fears that he and his wife will be dead by the time Ronald is released (in twenty years). He is heartsick by the possibility that if Ronald is convicted on September 5^th, then he will never see his son again.

This situation has also greatly burdened my heart, not just for its blatant injustice, but also because I have witnessed the way that it affects Biajo. It has been agonizing to see him so distraught. I can simply say that I have never been given reason to doubt the trustworthiness of this man. He is a good man. Not perfect. But honest and hardworking, trying his best to support a family he rarely gets to see.

Again, the powerful are taking advantage of those who have no power, no money, no voice. I see it happening right before my eyes. Yet with all of my education, all my tender-hearted compassion, and even my Western “wealth”, I can do little for Biajo’s situation. It is a helpless feeling. But I also know that God can rectify this situation and utilize for a greater purpose than I can now see.

I believe that prayer is vastly important, but I also believe that in situations like these, prayer alone does not substitute for action. I may not be able to provide Biajo with financial support or immediate solutions, but I can be his voice to others. It is with his permission that I have posted his story here. Please pray that the decision rendered by the court on September 5^th will be favorable for Ronald, and that true justice will be served.

Biajo asks that I express to you his extreme gratitude for your prayers.