Father of my Girlfriend i Impregnated Showed Up with a Gun to Intimidate Me into Marrying Her, What Does the Law Say ?.

20-3-2023.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SHOTGUN WEDDINGS?

Kiseka and Salma started dating in a funny way. They were renting Mzee Kalema’s houses, and one day, Salma invited Kiseka for lunch. Just like that, Kiseka started having more and more meals with Salma until he started ‘sleeping off’ the satisfaction in her house. Last month she told Kiseka she was pregnant and wanted to know Kiseka’s plans. Salma then heard a ‘rumour’ that a broker was helping Kiseka look for a new house. Salma contacted her family and told them the whole story. Last week, Salma’s uncle visited Kiseka with his AK-47 to convince him that marrying Salma would be his best decision. The uncle called the family to prepare for the wedding and told them he would keep Kiseka’ company’ until the wedding day.

Long story short, by Saturday afternoon, Kiseka and Salma were married, and Salma’s uncle went back home. 

 

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

Long ago, in some cultures, when a woman who was not married found herself pregnant, sometimes her family rushed to get her married off to the person responsible. This was seen as the ‘honourable ‘way to handle the situation, so the family and woman would not be ashamed.

However, because the couple was usually not prepared, there was a need to use threats (with an actual gun) to convince the ‘father-to-be’ to marry the woman. This kind of wedding was called a “shotgun wedding”.

 

In Uganda, a marriage between two people tends to have three important things before it is lawful.

1. The right age (18 and above),

2. legal requirements (what culture, the religious institution or state asks for).

3. Consent (willingness from the parties).

Consent cannot be forced. It must be a voluntary willingness by a person to do something without fear, threats, or manipulation. Therefore when a person is threatened to carry out a wedding or marriage ceremony, they will fail to fulfil the three important requirements we mentioned, so marriage will be unlawful. In short, shotgun weddings or weddings followed by threats are not legal or valid in Uganda.

 

In any case, it is important for couples to make informed decisions about their future and to seek advice and support from trusted friends, family members, or professionals. Remember, getting married simply because of an unplanned pregnancy is not always the best decision. Marriage is a significant commitment, and it should be entered into with careful consideration.

📷: Unsplash

Source; BarefootLaw.