Uganda’s Constitutional Court has ruled, and it seems if you want a divorce in this Pearl of Africa, you better bring CCTV footage, signed affidavits, and maybe even screenshots from WhatsApp.
The judges said big no to no-fault divorce, meaning you can’t just say, “This thing isn’t working, let’s part ways.” No, no, no. You must prove adultery, desertion, or cruelty. In other words, your marriage must qualify as a full Netflix series before court allows you to exit. Imagine the logistics.
How do you even prove adultery? Do you follow your partner with a drone? Hire boda-boda paparazzi? Or better yet, ambush them with your smartphone camera like you are auditioning for Inspector General of Marriages.
Ugandans will now have to present evidence like PowerPoint slides: Exhibit A: My husband was at Speke Apartments at 2 am, at the time he had communicated he would be on a work trip in Bali. Please see attached screenshots from Snapchat Maps.
By the time you are done, the divorce file will look like script for the next Lookman Ali movie. And this is all thanks to our colonial-era Divorce Act of 1904, which is apparently still alive and kicking older than Buganda Road Court itself. Some of Uganda’s legal heavyweights tried to modernise things, suggesting couples should be able to simply say, we are tired, let us breathe. But the court basically said, “In this Uganda?
Over our gowned bodies.” At this rate, lawyers should start offering combo deals: divorce plus private investigator, with free photography at the crime scene.
