Uganda court orders woman to pay ex-fiancé for breaking his heart

A court in Uganda has ordered a woman who broke up with her fiancé to pay him financial damages for psychological anguish.

According to the court, Richard Tumwine paid 9.4m shillings ($2,550) for Fortunate Kyarikunda’s law studies, which she must repay, including his legal fees.

The presiding judge, Magistrate Asanasio Mukobi, added that by calling off their engagement after four years, Ms Kyarikunda had broken a promise to the detriment of Mr Tumwine.

A BBC report adds that the court described as: “unreasonable, a misrepresentation and a fraud,” for the defendant to argue that her parents told her not to marry an older man, saying she “had all the opportunity to reject the plaintiff’s love requests at the earliest point possible and avoid interfering with his financial obligations.”

However, many are against the verdict, stating that unlike a marriage, is not legally-binding.