The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has said that the marriage of the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among with Budiope East legislator Moses Hashim Magogo is valid.
The Speaker and the FUFA boss tied a knot early last month in a private marriage ceremony. The newlywed couple went ahead to officially register their marriage.
However, a few days ago, the office of the town clerk in Makindye division receded and withdrew the registration of the customary marriage of the couple, saying it was invalid.
In a letter dated August 16 from Makindye Division Urban Council addressed to the Registrar of Marriages at URSB, the marriage was called off and deleted from the Division Customary Marriage Registrar.
“Please refer to my letter reference number MKD/KCCA/1308/06 dated August 15th, 2022 on the registration of the customary marriage of Magogo Moses Hashim and Among Anita Annet. I have discovered glaring omissions and errors occasioned to me as a consequence of duress while processing this matter. “
Nevertheless, according to a statement issued by URSB yesterday, the Town Clerk has no power to cancel the marriage.
“The role of the Town Clerk in customary marriage registration is to register and transmit a return to the Registrar of Marriages at Uganda Registration Services Bureau. Neither, the Town clerk nor Registrar of Marriages have the authority to invalidate a marriage. Therefore, the letter from the Town Clerk cannot invalidate the marriage between Magogo Moses Hassim and Among Anita Annet. The public is put on notice to ignore the misleading circulating stories about the validity of the said marriage,” said Ronald Jackson Lutunda, from the Office of Registrar of Marriages at URSB.
“Upon completion of the registration at the Sub County Chief or Town Clerk’s office, the Marriage return is filed with Uganda Registration Services Bureau (Registrar of Marriages) to be entered on the National Marriage Register maintained by URSB.”
Mr. Lutunda further explains that non-registration of a marriage does not invalidate a marriage. However, registration of a marriage gives evidential value pertaining to that marriage.
“A customary marriage is celebrated according to the rites of an African Community and one of the parties to the marriage must be a member of that community.”
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