A Ugandan High Court dissolved the marriage of politician Matia Lwanga Bwanika on June 19, 2026, after his wife, Barbara Babirye Katamba, successfully proved grounds of cruelty and desertion before Justice John Eudes Keitirima. The couple had wed on December 29, 2011, at Sacred Heart Rubaga Cathedral Parish in Kampala and later settled in Namulanda, along Lutembe Road, Kisubi Parish, in Wakiso District. They have one surviving child together, a ten-year-old daughter named Nakakeeto Martina Milburgh.
Katamba told court that she and Bwanika separated in 2017 after roughly a year of cohabitation, then briefly reunited in 2021 at his request, partly to support his political campaign rallies. That reunion, she said, did nothing to mend the marriage. Among the most serious accusations was that Bwanika had concealed prior relationships and fathered at least eight children with different women before and during their marriage.
Katamba alleged that Bwanika maintained an ongoing relationship with a woman named Sarah Walinda, with whom he had several children, including a daughter called Angella Nassaka, and that he built a house for Walinda in Kikokiro Zone, Wakiso District. Katamba further alleged that Bwanika allegedly made her younger sister pregnant in 2013, a revelation she described as deeply damaging to her family.
Katamba also claimed that Bwanika attempted to seduce Namirembe Catherine, an employee at the family business, who reportedly produced a love letter written by him as evidence. In November 2016, she alleged, Bwanika used family business funds to buy travel tickets for a trip to Dubai with a woman named Hanifah Kasule Nalukenge. Katamba said she confiscated the tickets after discovering the plan but later handed them back, and Bwanika proceeded with the trip.
In a report by The New Vision, Katamba also accused Bwanika of routinely shouting at and tormenting her in private and in public, conduct she said caused her severe mental anguish. A turning point in Katamba's account came during a trip to the United States in June 2022, where she had travelled with Bwanika and their daughter after recovering from a serious illness at Mukwaya General Hospital.
When she asked to stay behind for further medical care, she alleged that Bwanika reacted with threats of violence in front of their hosts, prompting her to remain in the US with their daughter. Justice Keitirima noted that Bwanika offered no response to the petition and left Katamba's testimony entirely unchallenged. "The Petitioner has therefore proved the grounds of desertion and cruelty against the respondent as her evidence was not controverted by the respondent," the judge stated in his ruling.
The court granted Katamba primary custody of their daughter, noting that she had been the child's sole provider since 2017. Bwanika was awarded visitation rights subject to at least seven days' prior notice, and was ordered to contribute to the child's education, healthcare, shelter, food and other basic needs. Costs of the petition were also awarded to Katamba.
Key points
- The marriage was dissolved due to grounds of cruelty and desertion.
- Bwanika was accused of fathering eight children with different women.
- Katamba was granted primary custody of their daughter.
