YOU’RE STILL KIDS
… Court breaks up 2-year-old ‘premature’ marriage
By Charles Musonda
JUST after two years in their marriage, Priscilla Mwanza and Given Jere have divorced after a court noted that they are too immature to continue living as wife and husband.
The court told Mwanza and Jere they had not taken time to know each other well before entering holy matrimony.
Matero Local Court magistrate Moses Lubuwa granted Mwanza, 27, of Kabanana compound, divorce after noting that she and Jere, also 27, were not mature enough because their love was short-lived.
Lubuwa said the couple had not enjoyed the happiness their marriage was expected to bring in their lives because they were both childish.
“People need to be mature before marriage. When you marry you grow up. As a man you must support your family, not beating your wife,” he counselled Jere.
“It’s like you didn’t understand marriage and jealousy [court to Mwanza] has limits and don’t check each other’s phone. When a man knocks off from work, he is supposed to interact with others. You can only be concerned if it’s during awkward hours.”
Jere complained in his statement that Mwanza was so jealous that she wanted him to be home by 17:30 hours each time he knocked off from work. He said whenever he reached home later than that she would question him where he had been and check his phone when he was asleep.
He said at one time she got a phone number for his superior at work and started to call him to complain about their marital issues.
Even when he was watching football at a nearby bar, she would follow him to check who he was with. In her statement, Mwanza said Jere married her in 2024 and they have a four-month-old baby in their marriage.
She lamented that there was no love in their marriage.
Mwanza said Jere reacted with violence even on minor misunderstandings and kept threatening to reconcile with his former wife.
She said Jere started warning her that he would insert an iron bar in her private organs if she did not leave him alone.
Jere would also give her K2 or K5 as money for food at home.
Mwanza said this forced her to sell their television set, radio receiver and fridge.
She opened a restaurant business using the money from the sale.
Justice Lubuwa granted them divorce without compensation but ordered Jere to maintain their child with K800 monthly.
