A court in Rukungiri District, Uganda, has sentenced a woman, Fortunate Kyarikunda, to six months in civil prison for failing to repay tuition fees sponsored by a man after declining to marry him.
According to reports, the sponsor, Mr Richard Tumwiine, a teacher, had funded Kyarikunda’s legal education at a cost of about 14 million Ugandan shillings.
This was under an agreement that she would marry him upon completion of her studies.
However, after graduating and securing employment, Kyarikunda reportedly refused to proceed with the marriage.
The court held that her refusal constituted a breach of a valid agreement and subsequently ordered her to refund the money.
Following her failure to comply with the court’s directive, the court ordered that she be remanded in civil prison for six months or until the debt is settled.
Reports indicate that Kyarikunda opted to serve the jail term rather than enter into the marriage, stating that she was unwilling to marry her sponsor.
