Husband wants retired archbishop to pay UGX 530 million for adultery

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  Even after making a public apology for committing adultery, the former Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali’s troubles are not yet over.

Rev. Christoper Tugumehabwe, who accuses him of committing adultery and siring a child from his wife, is demanding shillings 500 million in general  damages.

Tugumehabwe who also says the archbishop’s intrusion into his marriage also cost him his job as lecturer of Religious Studies at Bishop Barham University College (BBUC) in the Diocese of Kigezi. Specifically,  Tugumehabweaccuses Ntagali of committing adultery with his wife Judith Tukamuhabwa.

Tugumehabwe exchanged vows with Tukamuhabwa on December 15th, 2018. However, at at the time when the couple should have been celebrating their second anniversary of marriage, they divorced before Kabale Chief Magistrates Court on December 08th 2020.

In an intention to sue dated 26th April 2021 and signed by Lawyer Erasmus Nabimanya, Tugumehabwe through his lawyers Bikangiso & Company Advocates accuses Ntagali of advising Tukamuhabwa to divorce citing cruelty.

Nabimanya says that his client has video and audio evidence of Ntagali admitting and apologizing through the media to have committed the offense of adultery with Judith. The lawyer says that Ntagali’s sinful conduct caused Tugumehabwe’s loss of dignity, stress, trauma embarrassment, and privacy.

He says that it also led Tugumehabwe to lose his job at the university and minimised his chances of rising clergy ranks.

“Your unbecoming, sinful, and unlawful conducts have occasioned on our client general damages to wit – loss of dignity, marriage breakdown, stress, trauma, embarrassment, loss of privacy, loss of his job as a lecturer at Bishop Bahram University College and minimal chances of rising in the clergy ranks.

Nabimanya thus wants Ntagali to pay shillings 500 million to Tugumehabwe as general damages as well as pay another 30 million Shillings as costs he incurred in divorce case No. 5/2020.

He also wants Ntagali to make a formal apology to Tugumehabwe.  Nabimanya says that if Ntagali fails to comply in 14 days he will be dragged before a court.

The intention to sue is also copied to the incumbent Archbishop Kazimba Mugalu.

Efforts to get a comment from Ntagali were futile as he could not pick our reporter’s phone calls.

On Thursday last week, Ntagali publicly confessed to the sin before Anglican Bishops, selected priests, and faithful who gathered at Namirembe Cathedral to mark the 60th anniversary of the Church of Uganda’s self-governance.

Ntagali noted that although he was strong since Christmas Eve of 1974 when he got saved, he sadly weakened in faith and fell into sin. He informed the congregation that he has since confessed and concealed himself in prayer seeking pardon and guidance from God.

He also said that he is turning to his brothers and sisters in faith to find a place in their hearts to forgive him. He further sought forgiveness from the family of Tugumehabwe whose wife he committed adultery with.

Ntagali’s adultery scandal became public in January this year when Archbishop Kazimba suspended him from performing priestly duties noting that the act is as immoral as homosexuality and that they cannot shy away from their commitment to moral standards.

Ntagali served as 8th Archbishop of the Church of Uganda until March 1, 2020, on clocking the mandatory retirement age of 65. While serving as Archbishop, Ntagali was also the Bishop of Kampala and earlier served as Bishop of Masindi-Kitara Diocese from 2004 to 2012.

*******

URN