Skip to main content

PARENTAL CONSENT IN CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE.



Nakatudde, a young lady from Lungujja, decided that since her hunk of man, Jammy had proposed to her, it was only right that she take him home to her parents for a formal visit (also known as a “kukyaala” in Buganda). She hoped that this visit would lead to a kwanjula.  


On the day of the kukyala, Jammy along with an entourage of close uncles, siblings and friends arrived at Nakatudde's parents' home to officially ask for her hand in marriage. The function run smoothly but when Nakatudde’s father finally spoke, everything turned sour. He said that Jammy would not be allowed to marry Nakatudde. His reason, “…you’re too short, my grandchildren will also end up too short…” 


Nakatudde decided to disregard her father’s words and four months later, she and Jammy had their kwanjula (customary marriage) at her uncle’s home. Although her mother and paternal uncles were available at the customary marriage, did not show up and categorically told everyone that he had not given his consent to that kwanjula and promised to challenge it claiming that he did not give his consent. 


SO WAS NAKATUDDE’S MARRIAGE TO JAMMY LAWFUL AND IS PARENTAL CONSENT REALLY NECESSARY WHEN YOU ARE AN ADULT? 


The law recognizes that an adult does not need anyone’s permission when he/she decide to do something including getting married. However, this same law recognizes that we all have a right to get married according to our customs and norms. This is called a customary marriage.  


If your cultural norms require a parent to consent to your marriage, then you must get this consent before you can engage in a customary marriage. If it turns out that the norms of Nakatudde’s tribe demand for that consent from her father, then her ceremony at her uncle’s home would be invalid in law. If the parent is not alive or cannot be found, then the customs tend to provide for someone else to give this consent like an uncle, or the heir of the deceased father. However, if the parent is alive and well, then you run the risk of being unlawfully married if you ignore the need for that consent.   


Consent of a parent to a marriage can be in form of a written letter where parents detail consent to a marriage. This may also be accompanied by participation in the celebration of marriage.


#BarefootLaw


#osutayusuf

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

UGANDA ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO ELIMINATE NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS (IDs) FOR 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS.

The elimination of using National IDs (Ndagamuntu) for the 2021 elections should not have come as a surprise. One would be very NAIVE to think that Bobi Wine has not prepared for this in his Business Plan under the RISK section. It is public knowledge that our EC is not independent.  It is also public knowledge that Military Dictator Yoweri Museveni will never lose an election. What stunned us this morning is when we noticed that on social media, people were mocking Bobi with his "get your Ndagamuntu".  We are on record for saying to all Our readers that the National ID is like Apartheid in South Africa. Students of History would know how those IDs were being used to arrest people, deny them jobs, deny them basic services. Consequently, Bobi was not wrong and will never be wrong on the Ndagamuntu. Except the ones attacking him and mocking him forget that in Uganda, now, no National ID (Ndagamuntu), no service.  If you have not been denied registering your child i...

President Museveni Praises Soldiers for Torturing Bobi Wine in Arua on August 2018.

        President Museveni at the passout of police officers in Masindi Friday https://www.facebook.com/1829407613953796 President Museveni has praised his Special Forces Command [SFC] guards for properly and legally beating National Unity Platform [NUP] presidential flagbearer, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. “The other day, there was a fracas in West Nile where our young friend Bobi Wine was fighting security people,” Museveni said Friday while passing out police recruits at Kabalye Training School in Masindi district. “I think they beat him a bit and then they came and said a Member of Parliament has been beaten. I said let me study and see how he was beaten. I found the man had been beaten in the right way,” Museveni explained. “This was because…I think this was SFC people who are not police-minded. They are used to doing other things. But somehow they managed to act properly, I was surprised.” When they [SFC] went where this young man was in the room, he had ca...

Here is Why Our Utterances For Praying Jesus And God To Come Liberate Ugandans, May Be Misplaced. This Phrase is like inform of a Letter To Some Categorized Section Of Ugandans.

https://m.facebook.com/yusufosuta/photos/a.1896701010557789/2070383359856219/?type=3 OPEN LETTER TO NRM SUPPORTERS - NATIONAL ROBBERS MOVEMENT. .................................................................................. Last week of March, a friend told me to pray for Uganda.  I told him that he was an Idiot and we have prayed for too long and we are still hungry and sick and Jesus is not coming soon to liberate us. He then ignored the STUPID and sent me a picture we all now know.  It got me totally messed up.  This guy was telling me to pray then sends a picture of men bowing down in blood.  He might have meant guns but I blocked him because his utterances of praying for Uganda were misplaced. I unblocked him 3 weeks later and asked him about praying and assassinations.  His reply "eithrr prayers or guns or both". I hate violence with a passion.  So he is now blocked in like FOREVER. Do you feel safe?  Do not feel safe. Uganda regim...