A young Ugandan woman is staring at a possible jail term after failing to fulfill the promise she made to a man who educated her; marriage.
The relationship began in 2015 when both were teachers at a primary school in Kanungu, Uganda. In 2018, they entered a formal marriage agreement.
Based on this promise, Tumwine (then in his 60s) sponsored Kyarikunda (then in her 30s) to pursue a Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, spending approximately 9.4 million Ugandan Shillings (roughly $2,500 USD) on her education.
After she completed her studies, an introduction ceremony was planned for February 2022. However, Kyarikunda called off the marriage, citing that Tumwine was “too old” and that the relationship would cause her stress.
Tumwine did not sue her for “refusing to marry him” in a criminal sense; instead, he filed a civil suit for breach of promise to marry.
In January 2023, a magistrate ruled in his favor, ordering Kyarikunda to refund the tuition money and pay an additional 1 million Shillings in damages for psychological distress.
After years of failing to pay the court-ordered compensation, which had accumulated to over 14 million Shillings with costs, Kyarikunda was arrested on March 10, 2026.
Because she had failed to satisfy the court decree, a Chief Magistrate in Rukungiri committed her to civil prison for 6 months, or until the debt is fully paid.
