KAMPALA: Troubled Pastor Aloysius Bugingo of House of Prayer Ministries has denied ever being introduced as Susan Makula’s spouse.
On December 7, Bugingo and Makula had what was considered to be a traditional marriage ceremony in which Susan officially presented Bugingo to her parents at their home in Kawuku, Entebbe.
However, this angered many people, including some of his fellow pastors, who accused him of beginning a new marriage before officially dissolving the one he had with his legal wife Teddy Naluswa. Many people have since asked the police to investigate the pastor about his actions.
However, upon testifying at a Kampala police station, the controversial pastor disputed the claims, saying that he had just accepted an invitation as a guest and that he had not been introduced by Makula.
“My visit to Susan Makula’s home was merely a casual visit, not a conventional marriage ceremony,” Bugingo stated, according to the Kampala Sun Newspaper.
The news comes as Bugingo is facing a lawsuit filed by city lawyer Male Mabirizi, who accuses the pastor and Makula of participating in a traditional marriage despite both being aware of the former’s marriage to Teddy Naluswa.
Male Mabirizi, a well-known Kampala lawyer, took Pastor Bugingo and Makula to court earlier this month for violating Ugandan customary marriage norms.
The lawyer cautioned the couple that they may face a five-year prison sentence individually for violating Section 50 of the Marriage Act CAP, 251.
Bugingo is legally married to Teddy Naluswa, despite the fact that the former has sought on several occasions to divorce the latter in order to start a new marriage with Makula.
However, Naluswa has always stated unequivocally that she would never divorce Bugingo, stating that she is unwilling to violate the vow the two made when they married in December 2003.