Myths and superstitions attributed to the poor attitude of will writing in madi sub-region.

By Tasia Doreen

Moyo

A will is an acknowledgement of mortality—a physical reminder that we are after all mortals. A will is often regarded as a remembrance of death, therefore, coming to terms with the fact that we will die and must depart to another realm of the unknown is one of the most difficult things most people would want to contemplate. The subject is, therefore, not only very difficult to discuss but also difficult to accept. I have realized that a sizeable number of people do not bother writing a will because of the myths and misconceptions surrounding it Just like any other African society, the madi people still believe in certain myths and superstitions which prohibits people from discussing about their death or death of their loved one. There quite a number of myths surrounding will writing like, it is meant for the rich and wealthy, writing a will is like inviting death or for the people who are about to die soon .

According to lulua kanta leri the district vice chairperson moyo district local government the people believe that when you start talking about a will then you are bound to die which is just a superstition. The absence a will in most families is a reasons many widows and orphans are suffering because the family members of the deceased often take charge of the inheritance of property. It is considered un-African to talk about death. You know this as well as I do. As Africans, we believe that talking about death is like summoning it to yourself. Similarly, Andrew icha a business man within moyo town council narrated that most people want to have their wills written at the last moments yet it is supposed to be done while in a sound mind but due to fear of death they tend to run away from doing it attributed to a myths that when you write a will then you will die. Surprisingly, even   the highly educated adults, are put off by the idea of writing a will due to certain cultural myths, misconceptions and fears. The first reaction when a will is discussed or mentioned is: “It is not my portion,” leaving one to wonder whose portion is it. There is always a psychological fear that one is most likely or about to die when they start talking about writing a will. Whereas bayoa grace odendi a teacher at besia primary school in moyo town council explains that a will is a daily process since death comes abrupt calling upon the community to embrace writing of wills since it guides on what to do after ones death. In some funeral places in madi, family members are ended up into fights over distribution of property simply because there is no will left behind to guide on what to be done. Some African cultures presume  that young people do not die except such death is caused by unnatural forces and so they are not entitled to writing of will. For them, only elders are assumed to have finished their assignments on earth and can be perceived as due to go home to their ancestors; anything to the contrary is the handiwork of the enemy.

However John isse ogwedo an opinion leader said that even traditionally most of the people preferred secrecy to mainatnce peace in their families until they die hence neglecting the importance of having a written will because they believe that when property is divided then the family may also split up.
The erroneous belief that only wealthy people need write a will. There is always the excuse that I do not own anything, or I am just starting life and have no assets to put in a Will, therefore I don’t need one. The above misconception tends to discourage many from writing a Will. For them, only the rich who have enormous wealth and fleet of assets need a will to protect and share those assets

The Deputy Resident District commissioner moyo, Julian ssekamwa   who is also a lawyer  remarked that in some communities people have taken it upon themselves to change and disrespect  wills which he says is primal ,illegal and punishable equivalent to ten years of imprisonment Cue, Julian
While we all agree that writing a will shows how responsible a person is even in death, there are still some myths and or misconceptions directly linked to psychological and cultural beliefs that tend to inhibit this. Cultural beliefs surrounding death or even ignorance of the implications of not having a will are strong reasons why many avoid the issue. Therefore, to address some of these fears and or misconceptions, we need to find innovative ways of educating and sensitizing the public on why a will is needed. By so doing, we will not only correct these misconceptions and fear, but we would have succeeded in addressing the long-standing beliefs and misconceptions about estate planning and particularly, will writing.
Under Section 36(1-4) of the Succession Act of Uganda, Cap 162; every person of sound mind who is not a minor; a married woman who owns property; a blind, deaf or dumb person provided they know what they are doing; and an insane person are permitted to write their will.