Kampala, Uganda – A woman named Grace has come forward with a deeply personal story about the emotional pain she endured after her husband of six years decided to bring a second wife into their home.
According to Grace, the decision came without warning. One day, her husband simply informed her that he intended to marry another woman named Maryann, and that she would be joining them in the same house.
“I was shocked, but I chose to respect his decision,” Grace said. “I welcomed her with a clean heart, even though it wasn’t easy.”
However, what started as an act of compromise quickly turned into a nightmare.
Grace says Maryann did not come in peace. From the beginning, she allegedly tried to turn the husband against Grace, making it difficult for the two women to coexist.
“She made life difficult for me. I tried to make peace, but she always wanted me gone,” Grace explained.
But what hurt her the most was how her husband changed.
“Each time he wanted to sleep with her, he would ask me to leave the house, even if it was late at night. I would have to find somewhere else to go, like I was a stranger.”
Grace described the experience as humiliating and degrading, saying she often waited outside the house in tears, or found refuge with a friend or neighbor until she could return.
While polygamy is legal and practiced in some Ugandan communities, Grace’s story sheds light on the emotional toll such arrangements can take — especially when not handled with mutual respect and fairness.
Grace says her husband no longer treated her like a wife.
“I felt like I was just a helper in my own home. She had all his attention, and I had nothing.”
Grace hopes that by sharing her story, other women going through similar experiences will find the strength to speak out or seek help.
“It’s not about hating the second wife. It’s about how the man handles both women. You can’t love one and humiliate the other.”
She also called on community and religious leaders to sensitize men on how to handle polygamous relationships with fairness, dignity, and compassion.
