Ugandan Woman Jailed After Refusing to Marry Man Who Funded Her Education

Fortunate Kyarikunda, a law enforcement officer attached to Rubanda Town Council in western Uganda, has been committed to civil prison after she failed to refund her former boyfriend Shs14 million he spent on her legal education in anticipation of their marriage.

Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dinah Nekesa on Tuesday ordered that Ms Kyarikunda, a resident of Kiringa parish in Kanungu district, be held at Rukungiri Government Prison for a period not exceeding six months or until she fully settles the outstanding decree of Shs14,099,100.

Ms Kyarikunda had been arrested from Rubanda Town earlier in the day while she was on duty and was transported to Rukungiri, where she appeared before the court the same evening.

The matter stems from a relationship that began in 2015 between Ms Kyarikunda and Mr Richard Tumwiine, a primary school teacher and resident of Kagoongo-Nyakagyezi village in Nyarutojo parish, when the two were colleagues at Kiringa Primary School in Kambuga sub-county, Kanungu district.

In 2018, the two entered into a marriage agreement. In the course of the relationship, Mr Tumwiine sponsored Ms Kyarikunda to pursue a Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, spending approximately Shs9.4 million on her studies. The money was raised from his monthly salary, agricultural produce sales, and income from commercial structures in Kanyantorogo sub-county.

The couple planned to hold an introduction ceremony in February 2022. However, Ms Kyarikunda withdrew from the marriage plans, telling Mr Tumwiine that she could not proceed because he was too old. She noted that she was still in her 30s while Mr Tumwiine was in his 60s, and said the relationship would cause her stress.

Mr Tumwiine subsequently filed a case in the Kanungu Magistrate’s court for breach of a marriage promise. In January 2023, the court ruled in his favour, ordering Ms Kyarikunda to refund Shs9,439,100 in education expenses and pay Shs1 million in general damages for inconvenience and psychological distress. Ms Kyarikunda lost the case after failing to file a defence or appear in court.

She then filed two separate petitions seeking to have the judgment set aside, arguing before both the Kanungu and Rukungiri courts that she had never received court summons because her sister had been using her phone at the time. Both petitions were dismissed. Ms Kyarikunda still did not pay, and the amount accumulated to Shs14,099,100 by the time of her arrest.

The warrant committing her to civil prison read in part: “Whereas the judgment debtor has been brought before this honourable court on this 10th day of March 2026, it was ordered that the said judgment debtor shall pay the sum of UGX14,099,100. And whereas the judgment debtor has neither obeyed the judgment nor satisfied the court that she is entitled to be discharged from custody, you are commanded to take and receive the said Kyarikunda Fortunate into civil prison and keep her imprisoned therein for a period not exceeding six months or until the judgment decree is fully satisfied.”

Mr Erasmus Nabimanya of Nabimanya and Company Advocates, who represented Mr Tumwiine, welcomed the ruling. “She deliberately refused to comply with the court order,” he said.

Ms Kyarikunda declined to comment. Mr Tumwiine said in an earlier interview that he had opted for legal action after consulting the area LC3 chairperson and Crime Intelligence officers at Kambuga police post, who advised him to seek legal redress rather than take matters into his own hands.

“Although the court victory could not restore the happiness I had hoped for, I hope my experience serves as a lesson to the public about the importance of keeping promises,” Mr Tumwiine said.