Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has revealed that the number of cohabiting couples in the country is extremely higher than that legally registered. The remarks were made during the URSB Marriage Conference held at Kampala Protea Hotel on Wednesday.
According to URSB Statistics, Customary marriage registration for the FY 2019/20 and FY2020/21 registered a reduction from 775 in FY 2019/20 to 575 in FY 2020/21 largely due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Jeroline Akubu, Assistant Commissioner at the Uganda Law Reform Commission (ULRC), attributed law marriage registrations to cohabitation. She said cohabitation is not a recognized form of marriage under the Ugandan marriage laws.
“The number of Ugandan Couples cohabiting is extremely higher than that of legally registered marriages in Uganda. This poses a big challenge when it comes to protection of couples’ property during divorce or when one of the married partners passes on”, she said.
Dr. Patricia Atim P’Odong, the Head-Legal Aid Unit of the Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC), School of Law, Makerere University, called for a Law to be put in place to prohibit cohabitation. She said the marriage Act has stipulated Laws on avoidable marriages and cohabitation is one of them.
Mr. Umar Nyanzi, the President, Muslim Centre for Justice, said the low turn up for marriage registrations is not because of the absence of Laws but is attributed to limited sensitization of the communities by relevant Government and non –Government actors. He cited a case in which a Muslim couple parts with over Ush 1.5 million to celebrate a marriage in a mosque but fails to pay Ush 150,000 to have the marriage legally registered by URSB.
“It’s important that religious and local leaders plus URSB go to the ground to educate and sensitize communities on the importance of legalizing their marriages”, he said.
Ambassador Francis Butagira, URSB Board Chairman, called on couples to stick to one marriage regime. He said it does not make sense for a couple married under customary law to switch to a religious one because religious marriages, especially Christians recognize one husband for one wife.
“ You do a lot of injustice to your other wives married under customary Law if you decide to wed the woman you love most in a Christian Church, leaving others out”, he said.
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