He proposed at Prayer Mountain

In Charity Kembabazi, Samuel A Bakutana found a support system. He aspired to be a leader and on his journey, he decided to involve Charity, especially during his public speaking engagements. He also made sure that earlier on, he met her family and after this, the two were intentional about creating time for each other. This way, they built a relationship that was more than just mere lovers.

Charity and Samuel’s journey started at a leadership training for the Christian Union at Mulago Paramedical Schools in 2007. Here, Charity, who was a leadership trainee was smitten by Samuel, a trainer, although he did not really notice or pay attention to her. The two later met at St Luke’s Chapel in Mulago, Kampala, where Samuel had been invited to speak.

On the day, Charity, who was leading praise and worship, was also given the responsibility of serving the speaker a cup of tea and this time, Samuel noticed her beauty. Later, he publicly shared his phone number, enabling Charity to get in touch. Then, Samuel’s phone was stolen, and for a while they lost touch. However, this ended when he called her.

“I was overjoyed. From that time, our friendship and commitment to each other grew stronger,” Charity shares.

Samuel’s most significant moment in the dating journey was when they met at Nakasero, Kampala, one afternoon.

“She was breathtaking. I saw in her every quality I had always wanted in a wife and this is when I decided to turn our friendship into a lifelong relationship,” he says, adding that the days that followed were simply amazing because the two enjoyed every opportunity they had together.

For Charity, one moment stands out. One day, she says, they went to City Square in Kampala, each with a bottle of soda, sat down under a tree and talked for hours.

“This showed his commitment towards our relationship. He was free and easy to talk to which boosted my confidence and trust in him,” she says. 

“We talked about anything and everything. We were not phony or cosmetic; truly dating, not darting. Those were amazing moments,” Samuel says.

Qualities

With time, Charity knew that Samuel was her ideal man, especially because of his passion for God. That was on top of his confidence and elegance. He also had big dreams that he had written down on his computer. He was focused and, Charity says, she could see that his future was rock-solid.

Samuel loved Charity’s kindness, which was manifested in her love for service; serving God passionately and others compassionately. She was also physically stunning, an envy of many men. Her humble character also meant a lot him.

Proposal

 “I proposed, but not in the manner I see nowadays where people already know they are going to get married, know what their wedding will be like and the number of children they will have. The proposal turns into this spectacle for the public, with all the costs that come with such a spectacle. In our case, there was no camera, no witnesses, save God, and no flair,” Samuel shares.

Charity says they had gone to Sseguku Prayer Mountain on Entebbe Road and after praying, they talked for hours. He shared about his past, present and future plans.

“By the time we were done, a proposal was the logical next step. I launched my ‘manifesto’ and, like they say, the rest is history. She said yes,” Samuel says.

Charity says she was surprised since she did not exepct him to propose at the prayer mountain. However, because she loves unique things, she said yes.

Wedding

Charity and Samuel held their traditional marriage ceremony on January 29, 2010 in Bukoto, Kampala, and their wedding on January 30, 2010 in Naguru, Kampala. The couple say they still love to talk for hours, always laughing and they are best friends.

“We also enjoy going out either for a cup of coffee, breakfast or a vacation. Often, we burst into song and we both love swimming, which is our hobby,” he says.

Challenges

Charity remembers how difficult it was to sleep in the same bed during their first year of marriage.

“You may find this laughable but it is true. It was only, until later, when we got used to each other that we would sleep through the night without tossing and turning” she says.

Samuel adds that there was a lot of learning to do, so they argued and agreed, angered each other and forgave, and picked small disagreements and solved them.

“We work through our differences and disagreements as they come up and keep our eyes focused on the bigger picture; why we got married in the first place,” he shares.

The parents of two children; Petra and Prosper, also got a lot of disapproval from third parties. Some of those cutting remarks were to do with Charity staying at home to take care of their children.

“At some point, our daughter spent a whole year at home because we were convinced we had not yet found the perfect school for them. Some saw this as pride but we knew that delaying to do the right thing was better than rushing to do the wrong thing. Others were against the choices we made around our work-life balance while some queried the number of children we had decided to have,” they share.

In all this, the Bakutanas were unfazed because they had talked through and prayed about these decisions.

Forever

Charity and Samuel held their traditional marriage ceremony on January 29, 2010 in Bukoto, Kampala, and their wedding on January 30, 2010 in Naguru, Kampala.

The couple say they still love to talk for hours and laugh together because they are best friends.