By Davis Mugabi
Days ago, the court dissolved the marriage of Paul Kaggwa and his youthful wife, Peace Uhiriwe. Kaggwa is a retired civil servant who has worked with the Ministry of Health, while Uhiriwe works with UNICEF. The marriage was dissolved on grounds of adultery on the part of the man.
While both parties were ordered to meet their own costs, High Court Judge Alice Komuhangi ordered Kaggwa to refund Peace Shs 2.8 million she spent on buying curtains. The court also asked Kaggwa to give Peace a cow within a month.
Peace did not have a share of the massive properties owned by the Kaggwas because they were registered in the name of Kaggwa’s daughter, a child from the previous marriage.
Key takeaways from the judgment:
1. The man was married in 1983 and had four children.
2. He found out that his wife was already married in the 70s and marriage was still subsisting, and he applied for this marriage to be declared nullity.
3. He claims Uhiriwe lies to him that she is pregnant, and he immediately marries her in 2005.
4. By the time he married, Uhiriwe had accumulated a lot of property.
5. Eight years later, Uhiriwe had no child, and she left the home claiming adultery and cruelty and filed for divorce in 2017.
6. The case was mainly about sharing properties that were bought before the two were married.
7. The house where they were staying was bought by the man’s daughters and registered in the name of their company before the marriage in 2005.
8. The judge finds that once property was bought before marriage, it is not matrimonial property and can’t be shared.
9. That’s why the woman was awarded one cow and a payment of 2.8 million for curtains.
10. The man’s main argument is that they separated because Uhiriwe wanted his properties, yet the man had bought these properties for his children, and he had no child with Uhiriwe.
11. She claimed the man committed adultery with Diana, but the man admitted that he slept with Doreen instead.
Credit: Son of Loyola. Son of Loyola holds a LLB Makerere School of law 2014-2018 (Valedictorian, ) PGD LDC Kampala, LLM 2020-21 HARVARD LAW SCHOOL. (Tax) Arbitration)
