A law enforcement officer attached to Rubanda Town Council has been remanded to prison by the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Rukungiri District for failing to compensate a man Sh14,099,100 following a breach of a marriage promise.
Fortunate Kyarikunda, a resident of Kiringa Parish in Kambuga Sub-county, Kanungu District, was ordered to refund the money to Richard Tumwiine, a primary school teacher from Kagoongo–Nyakagyezi Village in Nyarutojo Parish in the same sub-county.
The dispute dates back to January 2023 when the Kanungu Grade One Magistrate’s Court ordered Kyarikunda to compensate Tumwiine with Sh9,439,100, which he had spent on her education and upkeep while she was studying, in anticipation of marriage.
The court also awarded Tumwiine an additional Sh1 million in general damages for the inconvenience and psychological distress he suffered.
Kyarikunda lost the case after failing to file a defence or appear in court.
Instead of complying with the ruling, she petitioned the same court in February 2023 seeking to have the judgment set aside. She argued that she had not received court summons and therefore could not file a defence, claiming that her phone had been used by her sister, identified as Rhona Atukwasa, at the time. However, the court dismissed the petition.
Unsatisfied with the decision, Kyarikunda later filed another petition before the Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate’s Court seeking to set aside the same ruling on similar grounds. The application was again dismissed. Despite the court rulings, she did not pay the money.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Kyarikunda was arrested from Rubanda Town Council while on duty and taken to Rukungiri. She was later presented before the Rukungiri Chief Magistrate’s Court for failing to comply with the court order to refund the money.
Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dinah Nekesa ordered that Kyarikunda be committed to Rukungiri Government Prison (civil prison) for six months for failing to comply with the court order. By the time of her arrest, the amount owed had accumulated to Sh14,099,100.
The warrant committing the judgment debtor to civil prison reads in part:
“Whereas the judgment debtor has been brought before this honorable court on this 10th day of March 2026, it was ordered that the said judgment debtor shall pay the sum of UGX 14,099,100. And whereas the judgment debtor has neither obeyed the judgment nor satisfied the court that she is entitled to be discharged from custody, you are commanded and required to take and receive the said Kyarikunda Fortunate into civil prison and keep her imprisoned therein for a period not exceeding six months or until the judgment decree is fully satisfied.”
Kyarikunda declined to comment on the matter.
Tumwiine’s lawyer, Erasmus Nabimanya of Nabimanya and Company Advocates, welcomed the court decision, saying his client had waited for years for justice after Kyarikunda allegedly ignored several court orders.
Tumwiine and Kyarikunda, who were both teachers at the time, began their relationship in 2015 while working at Kiringa Primary School in Kambuga Sub-county. They later entered into a marriage agreement in 2018.
During the relationship, Tumwiine financially supported Kyarikunda and sponsored her to pursue a Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre in Kampala, spending about Sh9.4 million on her studies.
After completing the bar course, the couple reportedly agreed to organize an introduction ceremony scheduled for February 2022. However, Kyarikunda later withdrew from the marriage plans, reportedly saying she could not proceed because Tumwiine was too old, noting that she was in her 30s while he was in his 60s.
Following the cancellation of the marriage plans, Tumwiine sued Kyarikunda for breach of a marriage promise and asked court to compel her to refund the money he had spent on her education, arguing that it had been an investment in their future as husband and wife.
In a 2023 interview, Tumwiine said he opted for court action to avoid taking the law into his own hands. He said he mobilized the money from his monthly salary, agricultural produce sales, and income from commercial structures in nearby Kanyantorogo Sub-county to support Kyarikunda’s education.
He added that although the court victory cannot restore the happiness he lost, he hopes the case serves as a lesson to the public about the importance of keeping promises and acting in good faith.
