Uganda bans 'disco matanga' over sexual abuse claims

Uganda on Monday banned an increasingly popular form of funeral celebration known as "disco matanga" that authorities said was leading to sexual abuse.

The all-night events, whose name means "funeral disco" in Swahili, typically involve men paying for dances from young women to raise money for burial expenses.

They have been criticised by rights groups for leading to unwanted prostitution and sexual exploitation.

"Matanga disco is an evil dance. We have stopped it and those who are found holding it will face the full force of the law," cabinet minister Justine Kasule Lumumba told AFP.

"Young girls are made to perform on stage in skimpy dresses and seductively dance to attract men to contribute to burial expenses, and these performances are done at night where the girls are sexually abused," she said.

The minister said the parties originated in neighbouring Kenya but had become widespread in Uganda's eastern border districts.

Kenya itself cracked down on the parties in 2018.

An official in Uganda's eastern Namayingo district, Suleiman Walugembe Juuko, told AFP that the discos often involved copious alcohol and drug use and often deteriorated into violence.

"We have recorded two fatalities related to Matanga discos -- one of a young girl who was gang raped and another of boy who was killed in an attack as he returned from the disco," Juuko said.

"We are enforcing the ban," he added.