By Our Reporters
Ps Aloysius Bugingo has finally petitioned court seeking to be granted permission to divorce his wife of 29 years and mother of his four children Teddy Naluswa. Introducing himself as an adult of sound mind currently residing at Rubaga in Kampala district, Bugingo raises 22 grounds to justify why he thinks the relationship between him and Naluswa has irretrievably broken down.
The matter, to which Naluswa is yet to raise her objection, has been filed with Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court which is well vested with proper jurisdiction to hear the case since the couple’s matrimonial home is located in KKB Zone Kitende which is part of the geographical territory over which the Court has authority.
Claiming to have severally suffered physical violence by Naluswa, including being beaten and emotionally tormented in his own home, Bugingo prays court to grant him three things including a decree nisi permitting the dissolution of the marriage that has been subsisting between him and Naluswa.
His 2nd prayer is an order by court directing for equal sharing or distribution of the property they have jointly accumulated with Naluswa during the subsistence of their marriage. Thirdly and finally he wants court to order Naluswa to pay him damages to atone costs he will have incurred in sustaining his divorce petition in court. According to Entebbe court sources, the petition is dated 8th May 2019.
Ruhinda Advocates & Solicitors are Bugingo’s lawyers taking on Naluswa in the divorce petition. It wasn’t readily clear who the lawyers for Naluswa, who will most likely be objecting to the divorce on grounds it contradicts Biblical teaching, are going to be.
BUGINGO’S GROUNDS
In his affidavit, Bugingo (who married Naluswa on 20th December 2003 at Victory Christian Center Ndeeba) says the mother of his four children has been committing acts of extreme cruelty against him. That their marriage has been “characterized by mistreatment, embarrassment of the petitioner [himself] in the presence of church members, friends and children.” He also depones that “the respondent [Naluswa] exhibited cruelty and selfishness and ungratefulness towards [him], despite his [Bugingo’s] loving and kind deeds, general disposition and words towards the respondent [Naluswa].”
The combative Church Minister particularizes Naluswa’s cruelty by referring to a number of dramatic incidents at their Kitende home including the one of 10th August 2015. That on that day, Bugingo presented the purchase agreement for the Canaan church land to Naluswa “who threw the papers in his face in the presence of the children calling him a mad man.”
Much more dramatic scenes allegedly played out during the January 2018 family meeting Ps Edward Kayizi (mediator) convened at the couple’s Kitende home trying to reconcile them. That in that meeting, Naluswa “terribly abused” Bugingo and the meeting ended in total chaos. That Bugingo was utterly ashamed. That the other Naluswa very tormenting act that amounted to cruelty was being in “constant communication” with Bugingo’s known rivals. These aren’t disclosed in the affidavit and it’s perhaps the counsel’s intention to divulge details during evidence-giving sessions by his client Bugingo. The court papers only indicate that these are equally enemies of House of Prayer Ministries.
That the countless media interviews Naluswa has generously been granting too constitute cruelty and are clearly aimed at defaming Bugingo besides tarnishing his character. He enumerates the media houses to which Naluswa has spoken repeatedly disparaging him in an attempt to impeach his character.
That she has also habitually been sending him very abusive messages while “regretting the day she met him and always praying for divorce.” That Naluswa subjected him to threats and actual domestic violence which escalated majorly between 2015 and 2019. Bugingo says it’s these threats that prompted him to “leave their matrimonial home.”
The court papers partly read: “Your petitioner for fear of his life left the matrimonial home and he has not returned to the home and that the respondent’s actions have never been condoned in any way.” Bugingo discloses that even after departing from the Kitende home, he has continued to materially provide for and look after his family members.
That Naluswa’s sustained acts of cruelty were “intentional, malicious and intended to inflict mental suffering to the petitioner [Bugingo].” That not even the counselling efforts by elders and family friends caused Naluswa to change in any way. That despite all efforts by Bugingo to properly bring up his daughter Doreen Gift Bugingo (27) on strong Christian background, Naluswa has infused her with her abusive character and the young lady now is being unleashed to repeatedly abuse Bugingo, her own father. That Naluswa has been advising and encouraging her to utter defamatory and very insultive stuff against Bugingo using public media. That upon Naluswa’s prompting, Doreen uttered defamatory words aimed at injuring Bugingo’s “good name and character.” He adds that the trust, love and care on which their marriage relationship was anchored has since “irretrievably broken down and can’t be salvaged.” That Naluswa’s conduct can’t be tolerable anymore both in public and private given Bugingo’s standing as a pastor.
He says during their marriage relationship, the two have jointly acquired and developed matrimonial properties which court must share between them equally. That the love and attraction Bugingo once had for Naluswa “has been swept away” and the two “can therefore not live together anymore.”
He wants to move on saying he can’t withstand Naluswa’s “impulsive conduct” anymore. That before quitting the Kitende home, Bugingo sometimes had to lock himself in the room to escape Naluswa’s acts of physical violence.
In their 29 years of marriage union, God has blessed the Bugingos with four children (in law called issues) namely 27 year old Doreen Gift Bugingo; 22 year old Winnie Treasure Bugingo (a Winnie Byanyima-style training aviation engineer in the UK); 19 year old Jennifer Blessed Bugingo (at Mubs) and 4 year old Isaac Miracle Bugingo. The fact that three of the children are of majority age is something Bugingo’s lawyer seems to believe will make it easier for the Entebbe Chief Magistrate to grant his client’s petition for divorce. (For comments, email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
