TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... ii
APPROVAL TO SUBMIT ........................................................................................................ .i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
LIST OF CASES ...................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF STATUTES ................................................................................... viii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ ix
~C~H!1A:!!PL.T~E!:;.R~------O~N!£EError! Bookmark not
defined ...................................................................................................................... !
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... .
1.1 Background to the problem ................................................................................................... .
1.2 Statement of the problem ..................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................. 4
1.3.1 The Objectives of the Study ....................................................................... 5
1.3 .2 Research questions ............................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Scope ofthe study ................................................................................................................ 5
1.5 Significance ofthe study ...................................................................................................... 5
1.6 Literature Review ................................................................................................................. 6
1.7 Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 9
CHAPTER TWO Error! Bookmark not defined.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................... 11
2.1 Introduction ........................................................................ En·or! Bookmark not defined.
2.2 History of the Divorce Laws ................................................................................................. .
2.3 International Developments .................................................................................................. .
2.4 National Developments ............................................................................ 14
2.5 Developments in Case Law ........................................................................ 16
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................... 20
v
FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 20
3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 20
3 .1.1 Existing State of Affairs .......................................................................... 20
3.2 An Overview of the Contents of the Divorce Laws ............................................ 20
3.2.1 The Divorce Act (Cap 249) ....................................................................... 20
3.2.2 The Marriage and Divorce of the Mohammedans Act (Cap 252) ........................... 29
3.2.3 The Hindu Marriage and Divorce Act (Cap 250) ............................................. .31
3.3 Analysis and Findings Regarding the Divorce Act ............................................. .32
3.4 Findings Regading Objective Three ............................................................... .39
CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................. .45
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................... .45
4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... .45
4.2 Contents ofthe Uganda Divorce Laws- Findings & Recommendations .................... .45
4.2.1 The Maniage and Divorce Bill .................................................................. .46
4.3 Delay in Enacting the Law ......................................................................... .49
4.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 50
References ................................................................................................. 51
ABSTRACT Using the Content Analysis Methodology the study analyzed the Divorce Act, Cap 249 (and other related laws) enacted during the colonial era assessing its continued applicability and relevance in Uganda today. This Act which commenced I" October, 1904 is now 114 years old and has remained the same to date despite critical legal developments! Findings from review of reports as well as court cases indicate that, the Divorce Act (and related laws) - like any other law enacted during the colonial era - is overdue for reform to continue to be wholly relevant and applicable in light of the recent legal developments particularly enshrined in the 1995 Constitution. Besides, the "modification, adaptation, qualification and exception as may be necessary" 1 regarding adopted laws has not been forthcoming as one would expect when it comes to most of the colonial enactments in general and the 1904 Divorce Act in pmticular. We therefore have in our statute books a law inter alia which on several occasions has been challenged in court for not being in conformity with the current developments in society and some of its key provisions have been rendered null and void. It was also an important finding of the study that in 2009 the Marriage and Divorce Bill was tabled. And that this proposed legislation more or less deals with the gaps in the colonial laws. It is therefore the recommendation of this study that this Bill be enacted into law as a matter of urgency.
