Ex-minister avoids estranged wife at court

By Nicholas Kajoba

DRAMA ensued at Makindye court on Tuesday as former primary health care state minister, James Kakooza consistently avoided his estranged wife who kept on trailing him with a son.

Kakooza, the Kabula County MP who was seated in Court Hall 1 when he saw Enid Tuhirirwe walking towards him, immediately stood up and fled to the magistrates court chambers. Tuhirirwe sent her son to go and greet his father. The son later sat with his father in the chamber as they waited for the presiding magistrate Charles Sserubuga to kick off proceesings.

Tuhirirwe, a mother of 2 wants Court to dissolve her marriage to the Kabula County MP on grounds of adultery and cruelty.

Tuhirirwe and Kakooza with their lawyers met in the magistrates Court for over thirty minutes before they came out. But Kakooza who seemed to be in a hurry moved faster with his lawyer and stood at a distance from his estranged wife who brought along family members and her two sons.

However, one of the sons kept on waving to his father (Kakooza), saying “Daddy bye, bye daddy”.  

“This man does not want even to greet his children” Tuhirirwe was heard saying before Kakooza boarded his car and left.

Tuhirirwe leaves court with her son and an unidentified relative in tow. Photo by Nicholas Kajoba

Tuhirirwe and Kakooza entered a customary marriage in June 2008 in traditional Kinyankole ceremony in which they were given a lot of property as gifts that she wants court to split equally between them.

She claims her problems with Kakooza started when she demanded to know the father of a baby that one of Kakooza’s own daughters had given birth to in 2009. She told court that suspicions of incest were obvious when Kakooza and his 21 year old daughter concealed the identity of the father from her and the next thing was seeing them sharing the same bed.

Tuhirirwe further wants court to grant her an order of judicial separation, full custody of their 2 children and an order for Kakooza to provide child support.

In his defence, the former minster denies entering a customary marriage with Tuhirirwe and claims she is related to him as a friend and not as a wife.

He says he will ask Tuhirirwe to pay damages for the allegations.  

Kakooza too wants custody of the children and says their mother is neither entitled to any maintenance nor any of his acquired property because they are not legally married.