The Church of Uganda has cleared the forthcoming royal wedding of Busoga King (kyabazinga) Gabula Nadiope IV and Jovia Mutesi, scheduled for November 18 at Christ’s Church Cathedral, Bugembe, in Jinja City.
Church of Uganda spokesperson Adam Sadiiki has said “they will go ahead to conduct the wedding because they have not yet received any court injunction stopping them.”
“What we received was just a petition. Kyabazinga is a Christian and he has expressed his desire to be wedded in the Anglican Church. Our duty is to do what he has requested us to do,” Sadiiki told Monitor in a Tuesday telephone interview.
However, he explained that their legal team is assessing the situation and to advise accordingly.
“We are waiting for our legal team to finish the process they are working on, then our actions will be guided by the guidance they will give,” Sadiiki noted.
The Church’s latest pronouncement comes after the royal wedding was plunged into uncertainty by two court injunctions as complainant Alison Anna Nadiope alleged to have been legally wedded to the monarch.
Through her lawyers from the United Kingdom (UK)-based law firm, Anne Cuthbert Solicitors Limited, Alison first dragged the Kyabazinga to court in the UK where the alleged civil marriage took place.
In her suit, Alison informed Busoga Kingdom head of clans and clans that the two got married in December 2016, and since then, the Kyabazinga has not divorced her, adding that “once he enters into another marriage, he will be committing bigamy.”
Bigamy is punishable under the UK law and carries imprisonment for up to six months.
A new November 8 court injunction, signed by Mugerwa and Partners Advocates and Solicitors on behalf of Alison, was addressed to the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and Bishop of Busoga Diocese seeking to block the church ceremony.
The letter seeks to stop the royal wedding on grounds that the Kyabazinga is legally married, having allegedly celebrated a civil marriage in December 2016 at Milldam House Bunbaby Road, Portsmouth PO13AF under marriage certificate AK5947291.
The letter further states that the aforementioned marriage culminated with the couple siring two children named Mitchell Muyisa and Josephine Katali.
The petition adds: “This serves to notify the church of our client’s objection and request that the honorable Church of Uganda does not proceed to wed the Kyabazinga with Mutesi during the subsistence of our client’s marriage as the same would amount to bigamy and contrary to church canons.”
But Busoga Kingdom prime minister Dr Joseph Muvawala, has since issued a statement, saying the Kyabazinga has never been married to anyone under the known forms of marriage and has never sired any children.
Dr Muvawala has also instructed the kingdom lawyers to commence civil and criminal proceedings against all persons involved in making such utterances and circulating them on social media, saying they are intended to tarnish the Kyabazinga’s personality.