Uganda Deputy Speaker divorcing wife over conjugal rights

The Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s National Assembly Jacob Oulanyah, has filed for a divorce, accusing his wife, Lady Winnie Amoo Oulanyah, of “causing him emotional stress” and “denying him conjugal rights”, reports Uganda’s Daily Monitor.

The two have been married for two years and nine months have two children.

The crack in the marriage is reported to have started in June 2015 when a close family friend told the publication the wife received some information that Mr. Oulanyah had a “girlfriend” in town.

Mr Oulanyah, however, denied the allegations but she wife, reportedly, never trusted him.

It is the mistrust cultivated and rooted in Winnie’s heart and mind which saw the marriage start to witness a stormy phase.

Apparently, “the lady”, as she is commonly known at home, did not want to stay in Uganda even after Mr Oulanyah promised to get her a job in Kampala.

She locked out any consideration of leaving her job, or relocating from California where she is a citizen.

This irritated Mr Oulanyah, who had previously complained about the dilemma of running parallel homes.

Court documents obtained by the Daily Monitor indicate that Mr Oulanyah filed for divorce in the High Court of Uganda at Kampala (Family Division) August 22nd through M/s Lex Uganda Advocates and Solicitors.

In the affidavit, Mr Oulanyah claims his wife mistreats his three children from the first marriage – saying Winnie leaves his children to cook for themselves and that she had denied him conjugal rights since February 2015.

Mr Oulanyah’s first wife, Ms Dorothy Nangwale Oulanyah, a distinguished child rights activist died of cardiac arrest in August 2009, leaving behind three children.

Four years later, Mr Oulanyah decided to re-marry on the same day his former father-in-law was buried.

On August 14th, the court served his mother-in-law, Ms Santa Okot with summons to file her defence within 15 days although she has since advised Mr Oulanyah’s lawyers to send their summons to America where her daughter lives.

Ms Okot on August 28th complained that the summons was given to the “wrong address and wrong person.”

Although Mr Oulanyah accuses the wife of mistreating his children, President Museveni, who attended the church service for the wedding had advised the wife to love Oualnyah’s children, not to divide them.