Tumwiine and Kyarikunda met in 2015 while both were teachers at Kiringa Primary School in Kambuga sub-county. Their relationship developed over time, and in 2018 the two entered into a marriage agreement.
Fortunate Kyarikunda, a law enforcement officer attached to Rubanda Town Council, has been remanded to prison by the Rukungiri Chief Magistrate’s Court for failing to compensate Richard Tumwiine sh14,099,100 following a breach of a marriage promise.
Kyarikunda, a resident of Kiringa Parish in Kambuga sub-county, Kanungu District, was jailed after repeatedly ignoring court orders to refund money to Tumwiine, a primary school teacher from Kagoongo–Nyakagyezi Village in Nyarutojo Parish in the same sub-county.
The dispute dates back to a January 2023 ruling by the Kanungu Grade One Magistrate’s Court, which ordered Kyarikunda to refund sh9,439,100 that Tumwiine had spent on her education and welfare while anticipating marriage. The court also awarded Tumwiine sh1 million in general damages for the inconvenience and psychological distress he suffered.
Kyarikunda lost the case after failing to appear in court or file a defence.
Instead of complying with the ruling, she petitioned the same court in February 2023 seeking to set aside the judgment, claiming she had not received the summons and therefore could not file a defence. She said her phone had at the time been used by her sister, Rhona Atukwasa. The court dismissed the petition.
Still dissatisfied, Kyarikunda later filed a similar petition before the Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate’s Court, again arguing that she had not received the summons. That application was also dismissed.
Despite the court decisions, she did not pay the money.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Kyarikunda was arrested while on duty at Rubanda Town Council and taken to Rukungiri. Later that evening, she appeared before the Rukungiri Chief Magistrate’s Court for failing to comply with the court order.
Rukungiri Grade One Magistrate Dinah Nekesa ordered that Kyarikunda be committed to Rukungiri Government Prison (civil prison) for six months for disobeying the court decree. By that time, the amount owed had accumulated to sh14,099,100.
A warrant issued by the court stated that the judgment debtor had been brought before court on March 10, 2026, and ordered to pay the outstanding sum of sh14,099,100. The document added that since Kyarikunda had neither obeyed the judgment nor satisfied the court that she was entitled to release, prison authorities were directed to detain her for up to six months or until the debt is fully paid.
Kyarikunda declined to comment on the matter.
Tumwiine’s lawyer, Erasmus Nabimanya of Nabimanya and Company Advocates, welcomed the court’s decision, saying Kyarikunda had deliberately refused to comply with the court order.
Background
Tumwiine and Kyarikunda met in 2015 while both were teachers at Kiringa Primary School in Kambuga sub-county. Their relationship developed over time, and in 2018 the two entered into a marriage agreement.
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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 she completed the bar course, the couple agreed to hold an introduction ceremony scheduled for February 2022. However, Kyarikunda later withdrew from the marriage plans, saying she could not proceed because her partner was too old and the relationship would cause her stress. She said she was still in her 30s while Tumwiine was in his 60s.
Following the cancellation of the marriage plans, Tumwiine sued Kyarikunda for breach of a marriage promise and asked the 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 chose to seek justice in court to avoid taking the law into his own hands. He explained that he had raised the money from his monthly salary, sales of agricultural produce, and income from commercial structures in nearby Kanyantorogo sub-county to support their future marriage plans.
Tumwiine said he abandoned thoughts of retaliation after consulting the area LC3 chairperson and crime intelligence officers at Kambuga Police Post, who advised him to remain calm and seek legal redress.
Although he acknowledged that a court victory could not restore his lost happiness, Tumwiine said the case should serve as a lesson to the public about the importance of keeping promises and acting in good faith.
