A woman in Uganda has been jailed for six months after failing to honour a promise to marry a man who financed her education. The case has attracted widespread attention after the court ruled that she had breached a marriage agreement between the two.
The woman, identified as Fortunate Kyarikunda, was sentenced after a legal dispute with Richard Tumwine, a primary school teacher who claimed he supported her education with the expectation that they would later get married. According to court documents, the pair met in 2015 when Kyarikunda was on teaching practice at Kiringa Primary School in Kanungu District.
In 2018, the two reportedly entered into a promise-to-marry agreement. As part of their arrangement, Tumwine agreed to fund her studies, including tuition fees for a diploma programme at the Law Development Centre in Kampala. The total amount he spent on her education was about USh 9.43 million.
After Kyarikunda completed her studies, the couple began preparations for their traditional introduction ceremony and marriage. However, the ceremony, which had been scheduled for February 2022, did not take place after the woman reportedly withdrew from the arrangement, saying she was no longer interested in marrying him and citing the age difference between them.
Tumwine first sought help from family members, friends, and local leaders in an attempt to resolve the matter amicably. When the mediation attempts failed, he filed a civil case seeking compensation for the money he had spent on her education and damages for the distress caused.
The court ruled in his favour and ordered Kyarikunda to refund the money spent on her schooling and pay additional damages. However, she failed to comply with the order and later attempted to challenge the ruling. Her applications were dismissed after she and her lawyer failed to appear in court.
As a result, the court ordered that she be detained in civil prison for up to six months or until she fully pays the amount owed and the court costs.