Woman Jailed After Refusing to Marry Man Who Paid Her School Fees Worth KSh 491,407

A Ugandan court has sentenced a woman to six months in prison after she failed to honour a promise to marry a man who financed her education.

The woman, identified as Fortunate Kyarikunda, was jailed after a court found that she broke a formal promise-to-marry agreement with Richard Tumwine, a primary school teacher who had supported her studies.

According to the court ruling, Kyarikunda can secure her release if she refunds Tumwine a total of USh 14,099,100 (about KSh 491,407). The amount includes the tuition fees he paid for her education as well as a court-imposed fine.

Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dianah Nekesa delivered the ruling on March 10, ordering that Kyarikunda be detained at Rukungiri Government Prison until she settles the payment or completes the six-month sentence.

Part of the committal order directed prison authorities to hold her for a period not exceeding six months unless the court decree is satisfied earlier through payment.

Reports indicate that Kyarikunda first met Tumwine in 2015 while she was undertaking her teaching practice at Kiringa Primary School in Kanungu District.

Their relationship reportedly deepened over time, and in 2018 the two entered into a promise-to-marry agreement. The arrangement required Kyarikunda to marry Tumwine, while he committed to funding her education.

When Kyarikunda expressed interest in pursuing a diploma at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, Tumwine reportedly honoured the agreement by paying her tuition fees amounting to USh 9.43 million.

After she completed her studies, the couple began preparations for their traditional introduction ceremony and eventual marriage.

However, the relationship later took a different turn when Kyarikunda allegedly backed out of the planned ceremony, which had been scheduled for February 2022. She reportedly declined to proceed with the marriage, claiming Tumwine was older than she had expected.

Before taking legal action, Tumwine sought help from family members, local leaders and friends to mediate the dispute, but the efforts failed to resolve the matter.

He later filed a civil case in July 2022 at the Kanungu Chief Magistrate’s Court seeking compensation for the money he spent on her education.

The court ruled in his favour, ordering Kyarikunda to refund the tuition fees and pay additional damages for inconvenience and emotional distress.

Her attempts to challenge the ruling were dismissed after she and her lawyer failed to appear in court to support their application.