House of Prayer Ministries founder cum proprietor of Salt Media, ‘Pastor’ Aloysious Bugingo and his new fiancée, Suzan Nantaba Makula, have been ordered to appear before court for breaching marriage laws.
The summon issued by Entebbe Chief Magistrate’s court orders ‘Pastor’ Bugingo and his fiancée Makula to appear before court next year to defend themselves on three counts contrary to the Marriage Act.
Bugingo and Makula were dragged to court by Kampala city lawyers, Male Mabirizi and Robert Rutaro Muhairwe for contracting marriage by customary law yet the pastor is still married to Teddy Bugingo.
Presided over by Grade One Magistrate, Stella Okwong Paculal, the court ordered the duo to appear in court on January 21, 2022.
On December 20, 2003 Bugingo married Teddy Nasulwa Bugingo vide certificate number 376 through church marriage at Victory Christian Centre, Ndeeba, after which the marriage was solemnized and still subsists.
However, in 2019, Bugingo filed a divorce case at Kajjansi Chief Magistrate’s Court against his wife Nasulwa, seeking dissolution of their marriage alleging that she was planning to kill him and also conspiring to steal his church land.
He cited these as the reasons for his decision to demand for divorce.
In the same year, Bugingo proposed to Makula officially when he made a bold move during his Annual Independence Prayer night at Namboole stadium.
Bugingo had earlier on told his followers that he had to marry Makula, his employee at Salt Radio and Television whether Ugandans like it or not, scoffing at those who thought he would reconcile with his embattled wife Teddy Bugingo.
He said it was “time they stopped dreaming.
Reports indicate that the two started dating way back in 2016.
Responding to the case, Nasulwa insists that she has never been disrespectful to her husband Bugingo since they walked down the aisle close to two decades ago.
She, thus, objects to the divorce petition stating that church marriage is for permanency.
She says her husband does not have valid issues leading to his decision to divorce her.
However, on December 7, 2021, Bugingo and Makula conducted a customary marriage at Kawuku, Katabi town council in Wakiso district contrary to the Marriage Act.
A fortnight ago, Bugingo was summoned to appear at Kawempe Police Station to answer criminal charges of contracting a new marriage.
The summon:
The law
Section 42 of the Marriage Act states that “Any person, who, being unmarried, goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person whom he or she knows to be married to another person, commits an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years”.
Section 50 states that “Any person who, having contracted marriage under this Act or any modification or reenactment of this Act, during the continuance of that marriage contracts a marriage in accordance with customary law, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years.”
