Opolot always told everyone that he would not look at a woman until he was 40 and a millionaire until he travelled to the UK for studies. This was true until he met Chelsea, a fellow student, and they travelled to a casino and got married. Opolot just returned to Uganda for Christmas and has spent every day with Nandi, his long-time crush. He has been wondering if he is still married or if he can get with Nandi since the wedding ceremony took place in the UK.
WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?
Every country has laws about how people should get married. In Uganda, we have different
types of marriages, which means we have different laws that allow for religious, non-religious and traditional marriages.
The marriage laws in Uganda also recognise foreign marriages from other countries, such as the UK, as long as those marriages conform to how marriage is understood in Uganda under Ugandan law. For example, in Uganda, legally, marriage is between a man and a woman (monogamous) or one man and more than one woman (polygamous). Any other type of marriage is not legal, so Uganda would not recognise it.
You may need to provide certain documents from your UK marriage to prove your marriage, such as the original marriage certificate or a certified translation. So, because the marriage that Opolot entered in the UK was monogamous (one woman, one man marriage) and is recognised in Uganda, it means that Opolot cannot start another marriage without ending the one he has.
If Opolot tries to marry Nandi, his longtime crush, he will have committed an offence known as bigamy. (the offence of marrying someone while already married to another person).
Source: BarefootLawyers
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