Resultant benefits of registration of marriages

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By Provia Nangobi

Marriage registration is at times frowned upon, with parties asking why it is relevant, since the church has already issued them a certificate or their parents have blessed their union customarily.

I will attempt to provide a scenario of instances we usually encounter along the journey of educating the public about the registration of marriages in Uganda.

Picture this: Nalongo and Salongo have been together for twenty-five years, and their union bore four children who are in secondary school and at the university.

They are a middle-class family living comfortably with their children having gone through traditional schools that are of high repute in Uganda. Life is good for everyone for a while. Nalongo is a stay-at-home mother largely running a small supermarket adjoined to their family house.

Unfortunately, Salongo, during one of his fieldwork visits upcountry, gets involved in a fatal accident and succumbs to his injuries. Sad indeed, many say life happens.

Death happens indeed; however, it should always find your affairs home in order for the avoidance of the pain left behind to your family. In the scenario above, Nalongo obviously, as the ‘wife’, had to follow up on the estate of the late, which, among others, included access to his institutional savings of their Staff Sacco, bank account and management of his commercial farm.

She hit a snag when another female, identifying as the legal wife, appeared out of the blue appeared at the burial of her late husband and also made it known that she was now in charge of the late’s estate.

The family is disturbed by the presence of another woman claiming to be the official wife, knowing that Nalongo and Salongo had been together for close to three decades. Attempts by Nalongo to access the late’s estate are met by a caveat on his bank account or access to his workplace savings.

A marriage certificate is the first proof of marriage that registration provides to spouses. However, in the event that two people lived together for long, had children and were never in a formal relationship doesn’t grant them a legal status or marriage certificate.

When one contests your marriage, proof of a certified copy is what saves you from the heartache of running around to prove you were legally married. Courts of Law or the Administrator General’s office will always request for the same in matters of contesting estates of deceased. For avoidance of scenarios of this kind, couples are always to formalize their relationships.

Uganda is a blessed country because the Marriage Act provides diverse marriages, monogamous and polygamous. You can actually get spoilt for choice, the decision lies with the couple. All these marriages carry the same weight, none if more important that the other. If you choose to be in monogamous marriages, then you are at liberty to be joined in a church or civil marriage. If you are predominantly a man who cannot live with just one wife, then settle for a customary marriage. If you are of Muslim faith, Muslim marriages are also provided for in Uganda. To access a number of services such as medical insurance for your family, application for visas, open joint accounts as a couple, you will be asked for proof of marriage, which is always a certified marriage document. Having stayed together for long doesn’t count when a request for evidence is thrown to you and have nothing on you.

I implore all couples not to be like Nalongo and Salongo and wait for a calamity to start wishing you had known. Registration of marriages not only secures your relationship but affords you to follow up on attendant services that require one to have proof of marriage.

Deployment by Government of digital platforms has enhanced the ease of delivery of services, including marriage registration services. All licensed churches are required to utilise these digital platforms to ensure all marriages they conduct are filed with the Registrar General of Marriages at NIRA.  Access to these platforms is through marriages.nira.go.ug

Provia Nangobi

Communication Expert