The Kampala High Court – Family division has ordered that Jacob Oulanya and his estranged wife Winnie Amoo Oulanya should formally separate. Oulanya is Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
This after both Oulanya and Amoo amicably agreed before Justice Alexandria Nkonge Rugardya that there is absolutely nothing which can be done to redeem their three-year old marriage.
Acording to Justice Nkonge’s judgement read by deputy registrar Justine Atukwansa, each party should bear their costs, but that their two children should remain under the custody of their mother with Oulanya having to issue a prior notice to visit them.
The judge further ordered that speaker Oulanya pays a monthly maintenance fee of $690 for the two children who live with their mother in San Diego ,California in the USA .
The said fee includes school supplies, clothing, food, gasoline and utilities for Oulanya’s kids.
The judge based her ruling on the fact that Amoo is now a college working student in the USA who insisted on taking the children in order to benefit from the free USA Education system. He said therefore claims for $4500 monthly would be high.
Oulanya petitioned court last year seeking orders to formally dissolve his marriage to Amoo whom he accuses of abandoning their marital home for USA and violating his conjugal rights.
In response to his petition, Amoo supported their separation on grounds of what she termed as irreconcilable differences, adultery and psychological abuse citing an incident when Oulanya forced her to wear a linen that allegedly belonged to his late wife.
Amoo says this psychological torture was the very reason which forced her to abandon her matrimonial home.
Oulanya wedded Amoo in a high profile ceremony attended by President Yoweri Museveni. The then newly installed Archbishop of the Province of the Church of Uganda Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali wed the couple.