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 ROYALS 

The Kingdom of Busoga has said allegations by a woman claiming to be married to the reigning king (Kyabazinga) and sired children with him are "defamatory and false".

The woman at the centre of this controversy is Alison Anne Gabula, who lives in the United Kingdom.

Mid-this week (November 8), she petitioned the Church of Uganda, seeking to block Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope IV’s wedding with fiancée Jovia Mutesi, scheduled for next Saturday (November 18).

Alison claims to be legally married to the 35-year-old king.

Through Mugerwa and Partners Advocates, she claims to have tied the knot with Gabula in December 2016 at Milldam House Bunbaby Road, Portsmouth P013AF under Marriage Certificate AK5947291.

In her petition, Alison further says that in the said marriage, they have two children together (Mitchell Muyisa, 8, and Josephine Katali, 6) and that she has made several contributions as a wife to their marriage, which is subsisting to date.

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Katukiro Joseph Muvawala (pictured) says the royal couple are "in fine health and jovial mood"

'Malicious and defamatory'

In the wake of this development, Busoga Kingdom has, through Katukiro (Prime Minister) Joseph Muvawala, dismissed the claims.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the kingdom said the Kyabazinga has never been married to anyone "under the known forms of marriage in Uganda and elsewhere" and that he has never sired any children.

The kingdom said it felt the need to set the record clear, calling the contentsof the petitioner's letter addressed to the Archbishop Church of Uganda, Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu as "defamatory and false information".

"The kingdom has since contacted the Archbishop Chruch of Uganda, who has confirmed receipt of the same and notes that although the said letter under paragraph 2 makes reference to a marriage certificate as attached in Annexure A, none was supplied to the Archbishop or Bishop of Busoga Diocese as alleged," wrote the Katukiro.

"For the record, His Majesty William Gabula Nadiope IV has never been married to anyone under the known forms of marriage in Uganda and elsewhere, has never sired any children, is not a British citizen and the purpoted Alison Anne Gabula is unknown to him and has never been married to His Majesty.

"There is no record for any marriage of His Majesty in the United Kingdom or anywhere else in the world and the content of the said letter is subject to Police investigations," said the statement.

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The kingdom said it reported the matter to security agencies and that it is being investigated and that arrests have since reportedly been made.

"The kingdom has formerly reported these malicious and defamatory occurences to Police and other security agencies, who have since commenced investigations into these criminal and illicit activities intended to create panic and anxiety among the Basoga and general public," added the statement.

"The investigations have since led to the arrest of some culprits who are offering useful guides on the motive and persons behind these social media blackmail activities and the general public will be notified on subsequent actions and prosecutions.

"The kingdom has also instructed its lawyers to commence civil and criminal proceedings against persons involved in these criminal activities and ensure that all involved and their accomplices are prosecuted accordingly.

In the statement, Muvawala then rallied "all the Basoga, friends of Busoga and the general public to ignore these baseless allegations and treat them with the contempt deserved".

'We have to verify'

The petition by Alison to Uganda's Anglican church as regards the much anticipated Busoga royal wedding has stoked controversy.

She has requested the Church of Uganda not to wed the Kyabazinga with Mutesi, during the subsistence of their marriage, arguing that it would amount to bigamy and contrary to church canons.

Bigamy is the offence of marrying someone while already married to another person. 

In countries that have bigamy laws, with a few exceptions (such as Egypt and Iran), consent from a prior spouse makes no difference to the legality of the second marriage, which is usually considered void.

The copy of the petition seen by New Vision was received by Persis Faith Wakabi, the Bishop’s Secretary of Busoga Diocese and Rev. Stella Susan Ameso.

When contacted, Ameso confirmed receiving the letter from the law firm (Mugerwa and Partners Advocates).

“I received the letter from the lawyers. You contact them,” Ameso told New Vision when reached for comment. 

Efforts to reach Wakabi were futile as his known number failed to go through upon several attempts.

Ivan Naijuka, a communications officer at All Saints Cathedral in Kampala, also confirmed receiving the letter, but said they have to verify its authenticity and find out whether the couple is married.

“This is an individual matter. So, we have to verify with the person claiming they are married and also the person in question, which in this case is the Kyabvazinga,” he said.

Naijuka said the church canons and the Constitution of Uganda stipulate that if someone is already married, he or she cannot enter a second marriage.

He said the Church weds people on behalf of the state, the reason it is registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

“Some young couples wed and think they are legally married, but for a marriage to be recognized, it has to be registered with URSB."

Forms of marriages recognised in Uganda include Christian/church marriage, civil marriage (by the registrar of marriages, customary marriage and Hindu marriage.

The mood in Busoga remains high ahead of the November 18 royal wedding. (File photo)

Gabula and Jovia 'in jovial mood'

Meanwhile, Busoga kingdom said the Kyabazinga and his partner Mutesi are "in fine health and jovial mood, gearing up for the historic occasion".

Muvawala added that the royal wedding central organizing committee will release the programme and other relevant details for the long-awaited wedding day.

Earlier in September, the son of the late Wilson Gabula Nadiope II celebrated his ninth coronation anniversary as the fourth king of Busoga.

On November 1, 2023, Gabula marked his 35th birthday anniversary.

On November 18, he will make a lifelong commitment with his fiancée, to open yet another chapter in the young couple’s lives That's if the church disregards Alison's petition.