Tempting fate: Digging own grave is latest fad in Uganda

It’s not only bizarre, but also abominable to dig your own grave. However, Ugandans seem to have disregarded this abomination and gone into a frenzy to dig their own graves. Not long ago, a man in Mbale district stunned his village-mates when he dug his own grave and threatened to kill himself, following a quarrel with his dad.

The man, only identified as Yakobo, had taken issue with his father after he sent away his Congolese wife, all in attempts to arm twist him to marry a tribes mate! Wielding a razor-sharp panga to scare villagers, Yakobo peacefully dug the grave. Once he was done, he locked himself in his house and asked the curious onlookers to collect his corpse after a few seconds. Scared locals had to break the door, and to stop him from committing suicide.

The African culture both reveres and fears death. We have all seen a host of prominent educated individuals passing on without a will, or even having made no plans for their final interment. There are those we have died without leaving a plot of land on which their remains can be interred, and others do not leave a penny for the last rites.

Our culture and beliefs are such that it is an abomination to mention let alone write down how you want to be buried, or worse – digging your own grave or buying your own coffin. This has slowly changed and we even have insurance packages for that final passage to ensure that your family is not left destitute trying to give you a royal send off.

Those who are planners know death will come as surely as sunshine after the rain. They know that this life is not permanent and some even believe in life after death.

Some of these do not subscribe to the “until death do us part” part of the wedding vows. Take for instance Eriyazaali Mubuuke. He died at the ripe old age of 92, leaving a 50-year-old widow behind. In his will, he stated that his grave was to be 10-feet deep and his body was to be placed facing his house, and covered only with stones.

At the burial, there were whispers that in life he was a notorious lothario who gave many husbands and fathers sleepless nights. He must have considered that all the cuckolds would not give his widow a moment of peace, and perhaps wanted to be in a position to guard his widow from being lured by possible suitors.

Elsewhere, Rabbi Canon Ezekiel Mulondo was a man of order and one who loved his wife dearly. He built his grave and that of his wife in 1995 when he was about 77 years old. At that time, the life expectancy in Uganda was 45 years. He must have realised he was already on bonus time and decided to work on his final details himself.

To avoid the embarrassment of a cave-in due to shoddy, harried workmanship he supervised the grave digging and building himself. His grave and that of his wife were dug 8-feet deep, and have fitted covers. He also put up a fence to keep out idle bystanders.

As a staunch Christian, he believed in life after death and the final resurrection when all the dead will hear the final trumpet and arise from their graves. However, he must have wanted to be sure they were not lonely as they awaited the last call, thus included a pipe running from his grave to that of his wife through which he could communicate in the afterlife.