‘I was asked to educate her instead of paying bride price’

Nambozo remembers that one day, Kiige came looking for her and when he found her, he asked her to be the mother of his children.

“At first, I did not take him seriously, but he persisted for almost a year. Eventually, I thought, ‘Maybe he is serious,’ and later, I accepted his proposal,” she says.

 What attracted her to him was his loving, caring, and straightforward nature. “He made it clear that he did not want us to just be girlfriend and boyfriend. His honesty and sincerity won me over,” she adds.

Kiige says when he learnt that Nambozo is from a village called Mutufu, which means the right one, he was immediately drawn to her.

“Besides, she was tall, slender, and beautiful. I thought to myself, this is the woman I should marry and live with for the rest of my life,” he adds.

Courtship

Nambozo says Kiige was not good at writing letters, yet there were not many phones for communication as it is nowadays. However, she says, he was courageous because when he realised they were not communicating as much, he came to the home she shared with her sister, and expressed his intentions of marrying her.

Their courtship was not very extensive. Nambozo remembers visiting his home once when he was sick and helping him with household chores such as washing and cleaning. After that meeting, she disappeared for about six months.

“Maybe he got scared that he was losing me, which is why he came straight to my home to look for me. There was no other way to communicate other than coming in person,” she says.

Proposal

“I did not give her a ring or host a celebration as people do nowadays. Instead, I asked her to come home and have a chat. I told her I wanted her to be my wife. After our conversation, she went and told her sister, explaining to her what I did and my family background. Of course, we had been chatting here and there, but when I met her sister, I did not know what to expect. I was nervous but in the end, we reached a mutual understanding,” he says.

Marriage preparations

Nambozo says after their chat, her elder sister gave them the go-ahead but advised her to talk to their mother since their father had passed away.

“I talked to my mother, who allowed Kiige to come home for a visit in 2006. During the visit, Kiige and his entourage spoke to my clan people, who told them what they wanted for bride price. However, my mother insisted she did not want any material things but instead, she asked him to use that money to educate me,” she  says.

Nambozo adds that after meeting her family, Kiige requested they start living together as they worked things out, especially since her mother had insisted they wed after she finished school. In February 2007, they started living together.

“He agreed to take me back to school as my mother had requested and I have to say, he fulfilled this promise,” she adds.

With their children now grown up, they knew it was time to have the wedding of their dreams. Kiige says he had a discussion with his wife and together, they agreed on a few things that were required.  They also agreed to hold the introduction on May 4, 2024.

“Thankfully, we were able to pay for everything without any outside contributions. We did not inform the wedding committee because the meetings were ongoing.  It was challenging to manage two events, but we succeeded,”  the couple says.

Kiige says to cut costs, they did not hire a wedding planner. Instead, they formed a committee of four people, comprising the couple themselves and two friends. Together, they came up with a budget outlining the items they needed and estimated costs.

“My wife took charge of organising trips to Kampala along with two other committee members, while I worked behind the scenes sourcing resources and maintaining contact with friends and family in the region. We held four meetings in various locations to coordinate our plans,” he says.

Challenges

The couple says finding service providers In Mbale City was a bit challenging since they were only able to get a caterer, and even then, there were not many choices.

“The biggest challenge was getting a suitable decorator. We only identified two people who did not have the materials needed, so we had to get them from Kampala,” the couple says, adding that since the committee members had rejected their chosen photographer, they had to hire one from Kampala, which was costly.

Counselling

Kiige says the counselling sessions they had were useful since it is here they learnt the importance of identifying each other’s weaknesses and supporting each other.  Nambozo says they were taught to involve their children in decision making and listen to their ideas. Above all, they were taught to put God first in their marriage.

Most memorable moment

The couple says the most memorable moment was the support every family member and friend was willing to give to ensure their wedding was a success.

“At a thanksgiving party, all our family members asked when we would get married. To show they were ready to fully support us, someone paid for the wedding cake, another for my wife’s wedding gown and another for all the rice. So much was given that day and by the time the party ended, we had almost everything we needed,” the couple says.

Kiige adds that the first day of their wedding launch(February 9), really stood out for him because although it was not so elegant, it was well attended and they were able to raise about Shs11m.

“My wife scared me a bit when she chose my wedding outfit. However, although I did not like her choice in the beginning, I was commended on how smart I was as a groom,” he adds.

Quick notes

Groom’s name: Geoffrey Kiige 
Bride’s name: Ketty Nambozo 
Date: May 18, 2024 
Church: St Andrew’s Cathedral, Mbale 
Venue: Mbale SS grounds 
Guests: 800 
Budget: Shs97m