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LAST DANCE: Vice President Kazibwe and her husband are through with the tango |
By Felix Osike
After seven years of living separately from her husband, Vice President Dr. Specioza Naigaga Kazibwe is ready to take the final step � divorce.
Sunday Vision has learnt that the VP has instructed her lawyers, Sebalu and Lule Advocates, to file a divorce petition in the High Court.
Dr. Specioza Kazibwe evicted her husband, Engineer Charles Kazibwe, from the marital home in 1995 and they have lived separately ever since.
In July 2001, Sebalu and Lule Advocates drew up a separation agreement spelling out the terms of separation between the couple and presented it to Eng. Kazibwe. The engineer however refused to sign the agreement on the grounds that he had not made any input in it.
After waiting for more than a year for the engineer�s response, the VP�s side has now moved to warn him that they are filing for divorce.
The law firm�s senior partner Paulo Sebalu declined to give details when Sunday Vision sought his comments on Friday.
�The VP is our client. These people are living apart. But I am not entitled to say anything now,� said Sebalu.
When contacted over the matter, Eng. Kazibwe said he had no objection to his wife�s desire for a divorce as long as she follows the proper legal procedures.
�After living apart for seven and a half years, why should I deny her wish for a divorce?� the engineer said.
The engineer, who has now been struck off from the list of Very Important Persons (VIPs), said the last time he shared a bed with Kazibwe was in October 1995 and since then efforts for reconciliation have been futile.
Sounding worried, Kazibwe said he would accept his wife�s demands as soon as possible for the sake of his safety.
�I have not seen any petition yet but as long as my interests are taken care of, I will not object to the divorce,� he said.
He did not elaborate on these interests, but these normally include regular access to the children produced during wedlock. They have four chil!
dren age
d between 14 and 22.
According to Andrew Kasirye, the president of the Uganda Law Society, one of the grounds for such a petition to succeed is proof of cruelty, but coupled with adultery.
Other grounds are change of religion, incest and adultery, bigamy and adultery, rape sodomy or bestiality, and adultery coupled with desertion without reasonable excuse for two years or more.
The whole process of divorce may take over six months, but the Roman Catholic church, to which both Kazibwes belong, is opposed to divorce.
VP Kazibwe caused a stir in March last year when she disclosed that she separated from her husband because he used to beat her. In response, the engineer said that he slapped her �only twice� over the last 10 years under serious provocation. He said the first time was in 1993 when she was industry minister and the second in 1995 when she was VP.
The engineer said he tried to save their marriage but it became harder as his wife�s public profile grew.
His financial position has also been shaky. Last year he was committed to civil prison for six months over an unpaid sh10m bank loan but was later bailed out by President Yoweri Museveni. The engineer still faces other creditor demands elsewhere.
Ends
Published on: Sunday, 2nd February, 2003 |
