TITUS SERUGA: As long as Pastor Bujingo is not sleeping in the same bed with his estranged wife Teddy, he has all the right to marry lover Makula

I want to call it actions rather than marriage because I wouldn’t like to bias my opinion and draw it.

Pastor Aloysius Bujingo may be close to committing a crime under the laws of Uganda, depending on who interprets the law and for what purpose that law is interpreted.

For the first time, I will understand the pastor’s actions, don’t get me wrong, for long; I have condemned his actions to insult his ex on nation TV and in Church openly. However, on this occasion, his actions are not are dangerous as insulting his former wife on Tv, although they border with crime according to the laws of Uganda factors remaining constant.

We should see beyond Pastor Bujingo’s case, what are the consequences of delayed divorce or refusal to divorce a partner who has fallen out of love? Homicides and domestic violence, often when men fall out of love with women, resort to domestic violence to drive the woman out of the relationship.

On the other hand, when women fall out of love, they resort to cheating and denying their husbands sex which may result in marital rape. We can not rule murder due to partners falling out of love since the country has registered cases like the Kasiwukila and Kiyingi murders. Let us use the Kiyingi case to reference since she was in the advanced stages of filing a divorce.

So it is wise to say that consequences of delayed divorce or difficulty in executing divorce often result in a crime. Why then don’t we simplify the divorce process in Uganda to deter crime.

I can see that people are putting all the effort into accusing Bujingo of committing a crime, yet there are ways we can stop crimes like these. Why would his former wife refuse to give him a divorce? Love is mutual and if someone doesn’t love you anymore, then accept to let go and keep the friendship than insist he must love you.

We have witnessed men of God in the Bible marrying more than one wife in the Bible: Despite these nuances to the biblical perspective on polygamy, many vital figures had more than one wife, such as in the instances of Esau (Gen 26:34; 28:6-9), Jacob (Gen 29:15-28), Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:1-8), David (1 Samuel 25:39-44; 2 Samuel 3:2-5; 5:13-16), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3).
So those throwing stones at Bujingo should be aware of verses above in the Bible.

We should be pushing the legal system in Uganda to be amended and have a quicker divorce process for men and women who want to get out of relationships.

Some people read the Bible and say whatever is brought together by God can never be separated. Can these people show me anywhere in the Bible a verse that shows a marriage that was accomplished in the church? Initial marriage was done between families, not churches.

This brings me to my conclusion, Bujingo asked for a divorce; he has all the right to be granted the divorce and move on with his life at the right time. As long as Bujingo is not sleeping in the same bed with his ex-wife Teddy Naluswa , he has all the right to show his intentions to marry Susan Makula.

According to the Kiganda Culture, a Kwanjula is an introduction of a man you wish to marry to your family, “showing your family the man you intend to marry”; the result can be positive or negative. If the family accepts, you can go ahead to marry the man. It’s true that the laws of Uganda also consider a Kwanjula as customary marriage, but such marriage is only complete if one registers it. So, in this case, Bujingo hasn’t registered his visit with the registrar of marriages; he still treats this as a visit to the parents pending his divorce.

I see no reason for any alarm unless someone doesn’t understands Buganda cultural norms. We also need to know what happens during divorce; you file for divorce, and it takes two years, are you considered still married during that time? Yet, you are not getting marital rights like sex. If you have no rights to sex during the divorce process, you can date someone else and make plans for the future.

Titus Seruga is a political and social commentator.