Uganda man with 12 wives, 102 kids, 578 grandchildren, faces feeding challenge

 By HT News Desk

Musa Hasahya Kasera, a 70-year-old Ugandan villager, navigates challenges of 12 wives, 102 children, and 578 grandchildren, facing hunger and limited resources.

Musa Hasahya Kasera, a 70-year-old villager from Mukiza in eastern Uganda, is making headlines not for his fame, but for his extraordinary, and at times overwhelming, family life. With 12 wives, 102 children, and 578 grandchildren, Hasahya’s sprawling family has become a subject of both local admiration and concern, as he grapples with the immense challenge of providing for them.

Hasahya's story was shared on social media recently, where he was dubbed 'The Person Who Produced the Most Children in the World.' (AFP File)

Hasahya's story was shared on social media recently, where he was dubbed 'The Person Who Produced the Most Children in the World.' The post quickly went viral, with people across the globe reacting to his situation. One commenter quipped, “Isko parivar kyun bolte ho ...? Zilla ghoshit kyun nahi kr dete.” (Why call this a family? Why not declare him a district?), while another said, “Mouj hai bhai ko” (This guy is living the life). However, Hasahya’s reality is far from simple.

Life of overwhelming numbers

At the heart of Uganda man's story is his growing family, which began when he married his first wife at the age of 17 in 1972. Over the decades, his family expanded rapidly, with villagers - attracted by his initial status as a cattle trader and butcher - offering their daughters to him in marriage. Though polygamy is legal in Uganda under certain religious traditions, it was not until 1995 that child marriage was officially banned in the country.

While Hasahya’s first child, Sandra Nabwire, was born a year after his marriage, his children now range from 10 to 50 years old. The youngest of his wives, now aged 35, has added even more to the already extensive family tree. However, the vastness of his family has proven to be both a blessing and a burden.

“I can only remember the names of my first and last born, but some of the others... I can’t recall their names,” Hasahya admitted while sifting through old notebooks that contain details of his children's births. His wives help him keep track, but even they struggle to keep up with the sheer number.

Struggle to provide

Despite his large family, Hasahya’s situation is far from comfortable. He lives in a dilapidated house, its roof rusting from years of neglect, and the family occupies several grass-thatched mud huts in the nearby area. His two acres of land, once deemed sufficient to support his growing family, now offer little more than basic sustenance.

“We are barely making it,” Hasahya’s third wife, Zabina, explained. “The food is barely enough. We are forced to feed the children once or, on a good day, twice.”

Many of the children and grandchildren do chores for their neighbors or spend their days fetching water and firewood from long distances. Yet, for a family of this size, the food supply is limited, and often, the family faces hunger.

Hasahya admits that this is a consequence of his earlier decisions. “At first it was a joke... but now this has its problems,” he told AFP. With his health failing and the strain of maintaining such a large household, two of his wives left, unable to bear the hardship.

Family dynamic

In a setup as large as Hasahya’s, keeping order and resolving conflicts can be difficult. To manage the complex family relationships, he holds monthly family meetings where disputes are addressed. His son Shaban Magino, a 30-year-old primary school teacher, helps manage the family’s affairs and ensures that education, where possible, is given to the younger generation.

“I try to help where I can,” said Magino. “But it’s not easy. Our lives are far from what you might consider comfortable.”

Local officials in Bugisa, a village of about 4,000 people, acknowledge the challenges Hasahya faces but also highlight his ability to maintain relative peace among his many wives and children. “Despite the difficulties, he has brought up his children very well,” said a local administrator. “There have been no major issues like theft or fighting.”

The wives’ perspectives

Despite the overcrowding and limited resources, Hasahya’s wives largely remain in the homestead. However, two wives have already left, and another three now live in a town two kilometers away due to the strain of living in such close quarters. Some of his wives, like Zabina, feel disillusioned by the circumstances but have resigned themselves to their fates.

“I never knew he had other wives when I first married him,” Zabina confided. “If I had, I might not have agreed to marry him. But when I came, he just kept bringing more wives, until he had 12.”

Despite these challenges, Hasahya insists that his wives remain happy with him. “They all love me, you see, they are happy,” he said with a smile.

End of expansion

Though Hasahya’s family continues to grow, he has taken steps to prevent further expansion. His wives now use contraceptives to stop more children from being born, a decision that he attributes to the lessons he has learned from his earlier “irresponsible” actions.

“I have learned my lesson,” Hasahya said. “I do not expect more children. I can’t look after any more.”

 Credit: HT Digital Streams