Binaisa kisses bride, dances

Dec 17, 2004

FORMER President Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa excited hundreds of guests when he showered his newly-wed Japanese wife, Tomoko Yamamoto, with passionate kisses and danced to African music at his wedding reception.

By Alfred Wasike

FORMER President Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa excited hundreds of guests when he showered his newly-wed Japanese wife, Tomoko Yamamoto, with passionate kisses and danced to African music at his wedding reception.

Binaisa defended inter-racial marriages, saying they were strategic in fighting racism, prejudices and help create a harmonious global family.

“My darling wife, give us a kiss. Sweetheart, give us another kiss. Please, give us a third kiss,” the septuagenarian who led Uganda in a turbulent time (June 28, 1979 to May 12, 1980) said as he bent and kissed his wife.

This sparked off prolonged cheers from a massive audience that included President Yoweri Museveni at the picturesque Speke Resort Munyonyo on Thursday night.

Museveni, who laughed for minutes as Binaisa praised his 58-year-old wife, hailed him as a very active and responsible citizen.

Binaisa, 84, dressed in a dark-cream kanzu, a waistcoat made from barkcloth and a black jacket, for several minutes looked at his wife, clad in a cream and orange silk kimono (Japanese women’s tunic), before addressing Museveni.

“Your excellency, we thank you very much for this most fabulous Christmas and New Year gift of a state wedding. Since we announced our wedding, my wife and I have continued to be in deep love without a break.”

Binaisa married Tomoko, a pharmacist based in Ohio (USA), via satellite link in a wedding presided over by the billionaire Unification Church leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, in August 2004.

Binaisa’s bestman was businessman Gordon Wavamunno, who paid glowing tribute to Museveni for supporting his return from exile in the US and facilitating his settlement in Uganda.

Wavamunno caused laughter when he said Binaisa was going for a third term because he was marrying for the third time. The matron was Erikowa Wetuwa, Tomoko’s friend from New York.

“Your excellency, we are in a permanent state of eternal bliss for 24 hours. We are so ecstatic. As I stand here at my third wedding, I assure you right now that I am physically, mentally and spiritually fit to enjoy our matrimonial fruits very successfully,” Binaisa said, to more applause.

“How I met this living jewel from Japan, how I succeeded in winning her is an on-going debate. It was a blessing getting her. She is also physically, mentally and spiritually ready for me, aren’t you?” he asked her as she nodded with a smile.

“Through inter-racial marriages like ours, human beings are able to fight racism and other forms of bigotry. Let us rise above all conflict and other terrible handicaps,” he said as he kissed her.

Museveni said, “We congratulate our elderly retired President Binaisa for getting such a beautiful wife. Binaisa is in the right line. He has now got rid of ssemwanduship (widowership).”

“We welcome your bride to Uganda. In the past, we did not have much contact with Japan except in the 2nd World War when Britain took Africans to fight Japanese in Burma. Our friend Gen. Msuguri was injured by the Japanese there,” he said. Msuguri, who attended, commanded the Tanzanian army that helped to oust Idi Amin in 1979.

“But we were amused by the stories from the front lines in Burma. The Japanese believed that Africans eat people. Binaisa will represent us to tell his wife that Africans don’t eat people,” he said.

Guests included Chief Mongosuthu Butelezi of the Zulu Inkatha Movement in South Africa and the secretary general of the World Association of NGOs, Hajji Ahmed.

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