No need to clash over marriage registration

Jul 05, 2011

CHURCHES, mosques and traditional leaders have for a long time been presiding over weddings. It is a rude shock to learn that couples who consider themselves married may not be recognised by the state if the wedding is not registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.

CHURCHES, mosques and traditional leaders have for a long time been presiding over weddings. It is a rude shock to learn that couples who consider themselves married may not be recognised by the state if the wedding is not registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.

Without registration, a marriage is null and void because the Marriage Act demands that anyone who conducts a marriage must deliver signed certificates to the registrar of marriages in the district in which the marriage has taken place.

Many religious leaders confess ignorance about the legal requirement to register marriages while others even go as far as challenging the legitimacy of the law. For example, the Rev Fr Andrew Kasirye of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala argues that a marriage is valid or invalid depending on the angle from which the case is being examined. Pastor Joseph Serwada, the head of the Born-Again Federation argues in the same vein.

He says marriage is a preserve of the Church and therefore there is no such thing as a marriage being null and void.

There is need for a middle ground. The Church and the State are two different entities with legitimate authorities. There is, therefore, no need, to clash over the issue of registering marriages. Couples intending to wed must first establish the status of the place where they want to wed from. Religious leaders should also respect the law and register the people they wed.

On the other hand it should not be too difficult for the state to establish the legality of a marriage. Just like the National Council for Higher Education or UNEB, places of worship can easily furnish information regarding weddings. It is a legal issue because, like academic documents, marriage certificates can also be forged.


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