Kwanjula, kuhingira are legal marriages - URSB

What can sh10,000 do for you this weekend? It can do many things, like getting you a plate of food.

If not, you can choose to use it to attend the 15th Edition of the Bride & Groom Expo, that began Friday, June 28 and will end on Sunday, June 10.

Yesterday, expo attendees had the opportunity to walk through the over 100 stalls of exhibitors and choose gowns and suites, taste cake, enjoy entertainment and attend informative sessions about marriage and weddings.

One such session was one facilitated by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) which urged Ugandans who have had any traditional marriage ceremony (kwanjula, kuhingira, nyom etc) to register their functions with the Government.

According to the body in charge of marriage registration in Uganda, the majority of Ugandans, even the elite, are unaware of the requirements of customary marriage registration and related practices to secure their unions.

Customary marriage, termed locally kwanjula among the Baganda and kuhingira among the Banyakole, Bakiga and nyomkwaro among the Acholi/Lango are legal in Uganda.

These are types of marriage that are negotiated, celebrated, and concluded according to specific cultures and norms. Customary marriage is celebrated according to the rites of an African community of which one is a member.

Speaking at the 15th Bride and Groom Expo happening at the UMA Show Ground this weekend under the theme – Together Pakalast, Berna Mbabazi, a records officer at URSB, called upon people who have done traditional marriages to register them not later than six months after the date of completion of the ceremony.

“We got a couple; the man wanted to travel abroad for treatment, and the only person to escort him was the spouse. Because these people had had a traditional marriage, they thought that was it. When they came to us to get a proof of marriage, we did not have it because we did not know them, and what was sad was that the man was too sick to sign documents,” Mbabazi said.

Mbabazi noted that when you have carried out a kwanjula, go to the district sub-counties, town councils, and municipalities where the customary function took place and register it.

“Sub-county chiefs and town clerks act as marriage registrars and have in their possession a customary marriage registration book, where they also record the necessary settlements agreed and completed by the parties. After the registration, they will offer you a certificate that you will bring to URSB offices to be registered in the national book,” Mbabazi said.

Two witnesses must accompany you when you register your kwanjula.

This year’s Bride & Groom has attracted hundreds of participants; including decorators, hoteliers, traditional wear stylists, bridal car providers, sellers of rings, food vendors, the makeup industry, and all other interested Ugandans.

The Vision Group event was made possible with sponsorship from Penny Bold Bridal, Fragolino, Crown Beverages (Pepsi), The Looks Bespoke, Uganda Breweries Ltd., and Health Care Ltd and partners; Uganda Airlines, Café Javas, Signature Jewellery, the Kenya Tourism Board, Marasa Africa, and the Sheraton Kampala Hotel.