‘A WhatsApp photo led me to my dream woman’

“She hesitated a little but I was successful in securing our first physical meeting five days later,” Karugaba says.

For Kirabo this was new territory as it had always taken her a while to warm up to new people being the conservative, soft spoken and cautious person she is.

“I am not certain why I said yes immediately this time around. One thing is for sure, he spoke like someone who did not want to play games and this caught my attention,” Kirabo says.

First date

Kirabo told her sisters about the date and all kinds of questions came up since it was out of character for her. They became her driving force to not change her mind. 

“I had to attend a class that day so I told Karugaba to come at 2pm. I was so impressed to find him parked at the hostel gate waiting. And he had been there a while. I expected him to come out and open the door for me which he did not. However, I chose not to show my disappointment,” Kirabo recalls.

And off they went to Zone 7, a restaurant and bar in Mbuya, Kampala, for a causal get-to-know-each-other talk. By the end of the night, Karugaba had made it clear that he was interested in love, commitment and marriage.

“I honestly knew things were going too fast but somehow, it felt right. All my questions had been answered and I had ticked all the boxes of the values I was looking for,” says Karugaba.

It was a very wonderful night for Kirabo who felt very peaceful and free from the time she sat in the car to the time they said good night to each other outside her home.

“We talked and laughed as though we had known each other all our lives. The freedom and peace I felt that day gave me confidence in this stranger who was somehow no longer a stranger in my heart. I had fallen in love,” Kirabo says.

Gentleman

At home, Kirabo noticed she had forgotten her shawl at the restaurant, something she mentioned to Karugaba during their good night phone call.

“I could not believe my eyes when the next day he showed up at the hostel with my shawl. I knew he had gone back to look for it. After this, there was no doubt he was the man for me. I committed in my heart to do my part to make this work,” Kirabo says.

The proposal

With the help of Kirabo’s friend Milly Kikomeko and his sisters, Karugaba planned the perfect proposal. Although the plan was adjusted a little due to the weather at the time, it was extremely wonderful and such a surprise for Kirabo.

“We were hosting her best friend’s son’s birthday at my house to which I had invited my sisters as well. Her best friend went into the house pretending to feel unwell and Kirabo had to remain in the house tending to her as we readied the compound for the surprise. She was then called outside when everything was ready,” he says.

On December 21, 2020, Kirabo said ‘Yes’ to the man of her dreams after making him wait for a long while as she wiped away tears.

Wedding

Their introduction and marriage functions were postponed twice due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Since meetings had already begun and people had already contributed a lot of money, the couple did not want to hold a scientific wedding in consideration of their many invited guests. Thankfully, they were able to hold their functions almost the way they had envisioned.

The introduction and giveaway ceremonies took place at Mr and Mrs Ben Kyampene; Kirabo’s parent’s ancestral home in Bushenyi on December 27, 2021.

Mr and Mrs Edgar Karugaba tied the knot on December 28, 2021 at St Paul Cathedral in Kasese and a reception at Kasese Resort.

Lessons

“I have learnt the danger of even small lies the hard way. About two months after Karugaba’s first visit to my home on April 17, 2021, he was so busy and told me to order groceries through his trusted boda boda rider which I did not do and I do not even remember why. When he asked, I said the boda boda man had not answered his calls. He, somehow, knew I was lying and when he confirmed that I was, he was so angry and for about four days, he did not want to talk to me. I regretted my actions, especially since there was even no need to lie in the first place,” says Kirabo, who vehemently advises against lies in marriage even those that may seem minor.

Karugaba advises couples to write their own love stories without trying to impress the public.