Police rescue 15-year old from getting married

Jul 03, 2012

Police on Sunday stormed a wedding party in Butambala and rescued a minor 'bride' arresting her parents, causing a scuffle that sent villagers and guests scampering for safety.

By Eddie Ssejjoba             

Police on Sunday stormed a wedding party in Butambala district and rescued a minor 'bride' and arrested her parents, causing a scuffle that sent villagers and guests scampering for safety.   

Police said the groom camouflaged himself when he removed his kanzu and wore a T-shirt and fled.

The incident happened at about 5.00Pm at Lugoye village in Butambala when a police patrol vehicle with over 15 police personnel stormed a wedding where parents were giving away a 15-year old girl into marriage.

Detectives said they did not know the groom, Muhammad Mulumba, a peasant farmer from Lubugo village, about two kilometers away and during the confusion he removed a Kanzu and wore a T-shirt, disguised as a villager and took off.

The police spokesman for Central West, Phillip Mukasa said about 30 guests had accompanied the groom and were joined with a bigger number of villagers and relatives that attended the wedding.

It was during the middle of the function, when the police sealed off the site. The father and host, Edrisa Kakooza and his brother Musa Wasswa alias Mussi, the mother Yudaya Nalukenge and the bride's auntie, only identified as Sania were arrested and together with the bride were driven away to Kibibi police station. Wasswa was later released on police bond.

The bride, a former pupil of Kibibi Umea Primary School was taken in her wedding gown and tiara as she cried. She was still being kept at the station.

Mukasa said the parents would be charged with conspiracy to commit a felony but the hunt for the groom is still on and if arrested, he would be prosecuted.

The bride would also be taken for medical checkup at Gombe Hospital, but if investigations and medical results indicate that she had been defiled, the groom would be charged accordingly.

Mukasa lauded a Good Samaritan who tipped the police. He said marrying off young girls had become rampant in the district yet many of them were aware it was criminal.

He said police would talk to religious leaders to explain to them what the law says about the age of consent so that they reject any attempts to officiate at such illegal functions.

According to residents, parents had invited Sheikhs to wed the bride and groom but ignored them during arrest since they had not conducted the ceremony yet.

 Sources said Kakooza claimed that his daughter was better off getting married since she had shown little interest in schooling.

"We appeal to parents who are interested in marrying off their daughters to wait until they clock 18 years, the age at which one is presumed to be mature enough to make independent decision, otherwise, the law will catch up with them," Mukasa said.

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