mob justice

It seems that with every trip I make to Uganda, I learn more about the ugly side of life here. Last night a young man lost his life for trying to steal a mattress. I am not kidding. A mob beat him to death over a mattress.

In trying to understand this, I asked David to explain how that can happen. Here it is.

Thieving is common here, and life is cheap. If a thief breaks into your home and you catch him, or them, (there could be 2 or more), there is the possibility that they may kill you rather than face being identified later. So thieves are lumped together with murderers because they are sometimes one in the same.

Sometimes the thieves have guns. Almost everyone in Uganda knows how to use a gun because of a government program that exists.

By the time the police arrive, an angry mob has beaten the young thief to death. Last year I heard a young thief was trying to steal a scooter and was burned to death by the mob.

So how does this happen in a country that claims to be 80% Christian and 20% Muslim?

I have no idea.

I will never understand this place.