New Vision (Kampala) - October 28, 2009
Joel Ogwang

Like any other youth, Lillian Kushaba often dreamt of having a stable marriage - a loving husband and beautiful children.

"And God granted me my wish in 1986. I got the man any one would dream of," she says.

Dream shattered

But while her husband met her expectations, Suleiman Byarugaba's 'other' life was unknown to all people including his wife, Kushaba.

Prior to their marriage in 1986, Kushaba had no clue that Byarugaba had fathered three children with another woman. It was not until 1996, 10 years after the couple had been married, that they had their first child. "Before that, I was having miscarriages."

And when the baby finally arrived, the pomp and glamour that greeted it was akin to any other that ushers a new born child to a community. Sadly, the baby did not live to see his first birthday. Soon after burial, Byarugaba tricked Kushaba, saying they did not need to hurry to have another baby. He decided that they practise family planning and, for five years, this stood, without him giving her any reason.

Kushaba only got to know of her husband's other life when the children came for school fees. Years after the baby's death, Byarugaba started taking septrin from his car. "One day I found him taking medicine and when I inquired, he said he had a cold," Kushaba recalls. "Another time I found him taking aloe vera jelly, which he said was because of ulcers."

Truth comes to surface

In 1999, Byarugaba died. "I was told he died of cardiac arrest, but I doubted it."

After the burial, Kushaba kept wondering what could have caused the mysterious death. This stressed her so much. She became weak and developed a rash all over her body. After a series of discussions with a friend, Kushaba went to a clinic for an HIV test and tested HIV-positive.

"I got the results without being counselled and this affected me. The rash on my skin got worse. I was like a frog," she says.

Kushaba was referred to Nsambya Hospital in 2001. Soon after, she got pneumonia and was bedridden for three months.

She was then taken to Mbuya Hospital where her CD4 cell count was four, meaning her immune condition had deteriorated severely. The CD4 cells are part of the body's defence against infection. Their numbers decline as the immune system becomes overwhelmed and when they drop to less than 200, a person is more at risk of developing opportunistic infections like tuberculosis, meningitis and kaposi's sarcoma. A normal person has a CD4 cell count of 500 and above.

Kushaba was told to start on antiretroviral treatment, but the cost of medication at sh280,000 was too high for her. To raise the money, she sold her plot of land and two cows. In 2003, Kushaba was enrolled for free ARVs at Mildmay Centre.

"I wanted to pay Mildmay back for the service they gave me and the only way I could do so was by doing peer counselling and voluntary work," she says.

Kushaba does community work like sensitising mothers on mother-to-child HIV transmission and HIV prevention.

She also does the same work at TOUCH project in Namuwongo.

Background

Kushaba was born to Robinah and Samuel Bagonza in Bushenyi. The fourth child in a family of nine, she attended Ruyonza Primary School and Kabwohe S.S.S for her O'Level. But because her parents could not afford school fees for A Level, she dropped out of school and joined her aunt who was selling second-hand clothes in Owino (St. Balikuddembe) market. It is from here that she got a job in rehabilitation at the ministry of gender from where she joined the public service ministry. In 1995, she joined the directorate of industrial training in the education ministry at Lugogo. While she came out in public about her sero-status, the stigma that came with this bold move was exasperating.

"There is still discrimination even among elites," she says. "Many people viewed me as unfit to work with them, but the attitude is changing."

Time to give back

Much of her work has been in the city suburbs of Namuwongo, Makindye, Kibuli and Lugogo.

"I respect her because of her boldness. She has counselled me about safe sex practices," says Christine Magoola, a former employee of an NGO, Integrated Development Activities and AIDS Concern. Kushaba reminds her to test for HIV after every three months.

"Kushaba is like a mother to me. I have learnt how HIV is spread. I do not fear eating what she has touched and do not feel uncomfortable associating with her," says Magoola.

Kushaba, a peer educator with the Population Service International, concentrates on teaching young people - boda boda cyclists and students about safe sex and HIV.

On Wednesday afternoon, she meets people living with HIV at Mildmay. "She is very popular here because of her openness about her HIV status," says Osman Ntambi. "People like her for firmness and being open about her HIV status."

Ismael Tumuhimbise, a boda boda cyclist, says Kushaba's condom-use messages to married people have been encouraging.

"I am married, but I have a girl friend," he says. "I stock enough condoms so that I engage in protected sex."

Kushaba, who also distributes condoms, has taken her works to local councils, urging them to embrace the safe sex campaign through condom use, abstinence and faithfulness. "HIV is still with us." she says. "But having HIV is not the end of the world and by opening up, you save other lives."

Do you know anyone who has played an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in their communities? Nominate the person, indicating name, phone contact and what the person has done in his/her community to help people PREVENT HIV infection. Also give your name and phone number. Write to: The Features Editor, The New Vision, P.O Box 9815, Kampala. Emil: feature@newvision.co.ug

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