Love found an official seal in Kampala this Valentine’s Day as the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) turned Cupid’s assistant, wedding couples in a ceremony where paperwork met passion.
Against a backdrop of romance, vows were exchanged, and rings slipped onto fingers, transforming the government registry into a gateway to happily-ever-after.
This was the occasion as 12 couples exchanged vows at NIRA headquarters in Kampala.
NIRA recently took over the mandate of registering marriages.
Speaking during the function, NIRA Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo said on many occasions, there is a lot of pomp during weddings but the most crucial aspect of registering the marriage is forgotten.
“It only costs shs35000 for one to register a marriage. There are risks that you might invest 20 years of your time in a relationship with someone and he or she gets married to another person if you haven’t registered your marriage. It is high time you checked with churches and mosques whether your marriages in those places are registered with us or URSB,” Kisembo said.
She encouraged couples to ensure they register their marriages to avoid any unforeseen circumstances that may occur.
Speaking on the sidelines of the function, the couples could not hide their excitement about this moment.
“We opted for this kind of marriage because it is not expensive, simple but also not stressing,” said Agide Musiina, one of the brides.
Her groom , Steven Woods, an English citizen was equally elated with the occasion.
“We obviously wanted a bit more with our families but for myself, because my family couldn’t come with me, we opted for this kind of wedding. At the end of the day, we just wanted to be happy and we have achieved it,” said Woods.