Pallisa, Uganda | A traditional introduction ceremony in Kagoli Village, Pallisa Sub-county, on Wednesday took an unexpected turn when Muslim leaders used the gathering to launch a strong call against early marriage and school dropout among youth in Pallisa District.
The function was the introduction ceremony of Aisha Logose and Fahad Siraji, two medical workers serving at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. Aisha is the daughter of Sheikh Edirisa Yahaya Papayo, the County Kadhi for Pallisa Twale, while Fahad is a resident of Bugiri District.
Because both the bride and groom are educated and employed, Muslim leaders used the occasion to tell parents and youth that education is the foundation of a stable family in Islam and the only sustainable way to fight poverty.
Pallisa County MP, Hon. Ibrahim Aisu Aisu, said the gathering itself was proof of the respect that education brings. He noted that when a girl is educated, her family celebrates with leaders, but when she drops out, the family ends up battling defilement cases at police stations.
This function is marvelous because the bride and groom are educated. Parents, you are all aware when your daughter has not benefited from education, she will get defiled and instead of enjoying like we are doing now, parents will be battling at police stations. We are here with all high placed leaders because Logose and Siraji are medical workers, Hon. Aisu said.
He urged parents to educate both boys and girls equally, arguing that an educated couple is better placed to build a respectable home that uplifts Islam.
The Chief Guest, Pallisa District Kadhi who is also Deputy Regional Kadhi for Eastern Region, Sheikh Abdul-Karim Mujumbi, thanked the couple for respecting Islamic marriage values and following the right procedures of Nikah. He asked them to use their medical knowledge as a form of worship by serving humanity.
JEEMA President and former MP for Bugiri Municipality, Haji Asuman Basalirwa, who attended as a close relative to the groom, warned girls against accepting shortcut and secret marriages. He asked them to seek recognized, formal marriages and cautioned parents against imposing harsh dowry conditions that push their daughters into improper unions.
He assured Aisha’s parents that their daughter will be well cared for, praising them for raising a disciplined and educated child.
The ceremony was attended by former Minister Haji Muhammad Mayanja, Kibuku District Kadhi Sheikh Issa Sulaiman Setimba, Kaliro County MP Hon. Ben Bery, and other Muslim and cultural leaders.
In a related event, hundreds of mourners gathered in Pallisa Town Council on the same day for the burial of the late Issa Oteko alias Younger, a member of the Bakomolo Clan.
The new Clan Leader of the Bakomolo Clan, Papa Komolo Kamya Moses Kawiso, who was dressed in a white kanzu, urged his clan members to work hard and expand the clan. He revealed that he has nine wives and over fifty children and is able to maintain them because he has multiple income sources.
At the same burial, Sheikh Mujumbi reminded mourners to prepare for the hereafter by doing good deeds that lead to Jannah, while the new Pallisa Town Council Mayor, Hon. Richard Omalla, called upon the Ministry of Local Government to visit Pallisa to witness what he described as high levels of corruption affecting service delivery.