The minister of gender in Kigulu Chiefdom-Busoga Region, Rehema Kyakuwaire is advocating for the use of cultural paternity tests as an alternative to DNA.
According to Kyakuwaire, the cultural paternal tests are affordable to most people compared to the high rates that come along with the use of Labaratories.
She said, “The cultural methods were used in ancient times to tell which clan a child belonged to.”
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Kyakuwaire’s call comes at a time when the country is in frenzy for paternity tests.
As of yesterday, the government of Uganda issued new guidelines for DNA testing which restricted the tests to only two Labaratories, both in the central region.
Against this back ground , Kyakuwaire noted that there are viable circumstances that would attract the need for DNA tests today more than in the past .
Some of these according to her included long distance relationships because of work , infertility among men where by certain societies would not want to hear of it ,which pushes women to get children from else where among others.
In the case that the need for a paternity test by a couple seems unavoidable , Kyakuwaire noted that culture has been existent before any scientific tests .
One of the highlights she gave is a practice by the Ngobi Clan among Basoga, where a child is bathed is bathed with milk and alcohol, it is believed that once the child’s skin gets allergic reactions then the child does not belong.
However in addition to culture , the gender minster also stressed that transparency , forgiveness and communal raising of children are aspects society needs to get back to following recent incidents .
Ibra Kitawulya , the secretary Kigulu Chiefdom also reminded the community that it’s better to embrace all children belonging to wives to guard against worse incidents of incest, once they are abandoned .
A religious advisor for Busoga Region Mufti Zojji Ngobi encouraged that religious culture holds taking care of many children as a virtue and it should be upheld .
Nevertheless, he went ahead to advocate to government to accredit health facilities at subcounty levels as well , to make the DNA testing service accessible to all.