Woman Jailed for 6 Months After Refusing to Marry Man Who Paid Her School Fees
2 min read
A court in Uganda has sentenced a woman to six months in prison after she reportedly failed to honour a promise to marry a man who had paid for her education.
The woman, identified as Fortunate Kyarikunda, was jailed after the court ruled that she broke an agreement with Richard Tumwine, a primary school teacher who had supported her studies financially.
According to court documents, Tumwine spent about USh 9.43 million (around KSh 491,000) on Kyarikunda’s education after the two agreed that they would get married in the future.
The ruling was delivered on March 10 by Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dianah Nekesa, who ordered that Kyarikunda be detained at Rukungiri Government Prison. The court said she would remain in prison for up to six months unless she refunds the money and settles the court costs.
The case dates back to 2015 when the two reportedly met at Kiringa Primary School in Kanungu District during Kyarikunda’s teaching practice. Three years later, in 2018, they made a promise-to-marry agreement. Under the arrangement, Tumwine agreed to finance her education.
When Kyarikunda later expressed interest in studying for a diploma at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, Tumwine agreed to cover the tuition fees.
After completing her studies, the couple started preparing for their introduction ceremony and wedding. The ceremony was scheduled for February 2022, but Kyarikunda later withdrew from the marriage plans, reportedly saying Tumwine was older than she expected.
Before going to court, Tumwine tried to resolve the matter through mediation involving family members, friends and local leaders, but the discussions failed.
He later filed a civil case in July 2022 at the Kanungu Chief Magistrate’s Court seeking compensation for the money he had spent.
The court ruled in his favour and ordered Kyarikunda to refund the education costs and also pay USh 1 million as general damages for inconvenience and emotional distress.
Kyarikunda attempted to challenge the decision, claiming she had not been properly served with court summons. However, the court dismissed her applications after both she and her lawyer failed to appear during the hearing.
In a related incident reported earlier, a woman in Tanzania also expressed heartbreak after her partner allegedly left her despite her paying about TZS 3.5 million in his school fees.
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