A Critical Analysis of the Evolution On the Law Governing Divorce in Customary Marriages in Uganda

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ ii

APPROVAL ............................................................................................................................... iii

CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................................... vii

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

1.1 Introduction ................. 1

1.2 Background and context ............................................................................................... ......... 2

1.2.1 . Social-cultural Background ............................................................................................. 2

1.2.2 The Application of Customary Law in Uganda as a Post-colonial State ........................... 2

1.3 Statement of the problem ...................................................................................................... 5

1.4. 1 Overall objective ................................................................................................................ 5

_ 1.4.2 Specific objectives .............................................................................................................. 5

1.5 Justification for the study ...................................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................................... 9

LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 9

2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 9

2.2 GROUNDS OF CUSTOMARY DIVORCE LAW WITHIN THE UGANDAN LEGAL

SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................... 10

2.3.1 NON JUDICIAL DIVORCE PROCEDURE; ................................................................. 10

_2.3.2 Judicial Divorce Procedure ............................................................................................... 12

2.4 RELIEFS PREDICATED UPON CUSTOMARY DIVORCE .......................................... 13

--- iv

CHAPTER THREE ············••u••·································"······••u••······••u••·····························••U•• 17

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY ................................................................................... 17

3.1 The Study Design ................................................................................................................ 17

3.2 Population and Area of study ............................................................................................ 17

3.3 Data collection techniques .................................................................................................. 18

3.3.1 Documentary review ........................................................................................................ 18

3.3.2 Key informant interviews .................................... , ............................................................ 18

3.3.3 Case studies ...................................................................................................................... 19

3.3.4 Focus group discussions ................................................................................................... 19

3.3.5 Observation ...................................................................................................................... 20

3.4 Data collection methods .................................................................................................... 20

3.5 Procedure ............................................................................................................................. 20

3.6 Fieldwork ............................................................................................................................ 21

3.7 Data analysis and report writing .......................................................................................... 21

CHAPTER FOUR ··················································••u••·······················••u••············••U••············ 22

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................. 22

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 22

4.2 Knowledge of the law ....................................................................................................... 22

4.3 Areas of the Law Requiring Law Reform ........................................................................... 24

4.4 MAINTAJNANCE; ............................................................................................................. 24

4.5 BRIDE PRICE; ................................................................................................................... 24

CHAPTER FIVE ..................................................................................................................... 26

CUSTOMARY NORMS AND PRACTICES OF CUSTOMARY DIVORCE IN

UGANDA ................................................................................................................................. 26

5 .1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 26

5.2 Nilotic Ethnic Group ........................................................................................................... 26

5.2.1 Customary practices of customary divorce in the Nilotic ethnic group ........................... 26

5.3 Nilo-Hamites Ethnic Group ................................................................................................ 27

5.3.1 Customary practices of divorce among the Nilo-Hamites ethnic group ......................... 27

5.4 Bantu Ethnic Group ............................................................................................................. 27

5.4.1 Customary practices of customary divorce among the Bantu ethnic group ..................... 28

5.5 Luo Ethnic Group ................................................................................................................ 29

5.5.1 Customary practices of customary divorce among the Luo ethnic group ........................ 29

5.6 A CRITIQUE OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CUSTOMARY DIVORCE PROVISIONS 31

CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 34

RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................... 34

REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.1 Introduction The study was undertaken to review the law governing customary divorce in Uganda. The purpose of the study was to ensure among others that; the provisions of the laws governing customary divorce in Uganda are in conformity with the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, national laws and international and regional human rights standards and practices, are up to date with the changing socio-economic circumstances of Uganda, and that the law is accessible to the people and its implementation can be better realised. A divorce is called the "dissolution" of the marriage contract. ... According to Black's Law Dictionary, a divorce is defined as, "the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court. - Also termed marital dissolution; dissolution of marriage. DIVORCE, Black's Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009). Customary law may be defined as consisting of the unw1 itten norms and practices of Laws governing small scale communities which dates back from pre-colonial times but has undergone transformations due to colonialism and capitalism. It is localized in nature and is as diverse as the communities involved, although there is general consensus on certain fundamental principles. It is unwritten and is characterized by dynamism and flexibility, as it develops and takes on different permutations in response to changing circumstances. The fluid nature of customary law, and the fact that it is unwritten, poses a challenge in determining its content in any particular case. In Uganda, customary law applies only in civil matters and hence is not applicable in criminal cases.

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A Critical Analysis of the Evolution On the Law Governing Divorce in Customary Marriages in Uganda

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