4,352 total views, 3 views today
Today, Uganda’s customary marriages have become more costly than the church wedding. There’s just too much that a man has to procure to get someone’s daughter. As the custom is, a man has to be dowry and there’s simply no way around that. This is culture! And it has to be respected.
Dowry is no cheap thing. In Buganda, it is quite affordable as the man has to carry a cow’s thigh, “kiggula lugyi” -a local brew- and a few other cheaper items for dowry. However, don’t be fooled by those few traditional items that a man must carry to his father-in-law for kwanjula. The Baganda like to exaggerate customary marriage ceremonies, after all, it is a day for the girl to show off the man she has got to her family, friends, and the entire village. With that in mind, the man has to also show the girl’s family that he is rich and well-off. Most of them will, therefore, carry extra items like sofa sets, fridges, TV sets, land titles, and even cars to offer to the girl’s parents as gifts.
The Banyankole, on the other hand, are the most extravagant of the 56 Ugandan tribes. Their dowry is specifically cows, and they want them in tens or hundreds. If you offer less than ten, the clan will consider you a poor in-law, and in extreme cases, may refuse to give you their daughter. Like the Baganda, the Banyankole also love bragging about their wealth when it comes to customary marriage. So they also go the extra mile to bring items like house furniture, fridges, and more.
This has become the current trend across the country and the African continent in general. And if you are planning a customary marriage, you will not escape the same experience. Even though your family comes along to help, the funds might not be adequate.
However, an insurance service provider has noticed the problem and designed a solution. Jubilee insurance has developed an insurance policy that could help you save up and swiftly sail through your introduction and wedding ceremonies. Even your honeymoon would be catered for!
Jubilee insurance sales manager, Micheal Ongora sheds some light on their kwanjula policy.
Why the idea for an investment for the kwanjula?
It is common practice in Uganda for a man to finance his wedding in full. The first ceremony is called “Kukyala,” where the bride introduces the groom to her family. On this day, the man has to buy many gifts for the different relatives of the bride. He also pays the bride price. The function leads to traditional marriage is publicly recognized. The religious wedding ceremony takes place sometime after the “kwanjula” or could be done the same day.
In order to ease the financial burden on Ugandan men who are looking forward to getting married, Jubilee Life has designed a product that is tailor-made for this specific need. It is meant to augment the process of organizing the traditional and church weddings in Uganda, which have become quite popular.
Is it a basic saving plan with interest accued?
It enables the policyholder to build up a fund to finance the kwanjula, the white wedding, and a honeymoon while offering protection during the term of the policy. The sum assured or what client gets at maturity is more than what they have put in, making it a saving plan, yet in case of death before maturity, the beneficiary named by the applicant at the time of signing the policy is paid the full sum.
How long does one have to save?
Kwanjula Plus comes as a relief to couples as it offers a savings plan with a minimum of a saving duration of five years, friendly entry and exit terms, with two partially pay-outs before maturity for those intending to finance certain activities before the end of the term.
Can one also save up for the wedding?
Besides offering life cover during the policy term, the product, among others, enables the policyholder to build up a fund to cater for visits (Kukyala), the traditional wedding(kwanjula, kuhingira etc), bride price, kasiki (bachelor/bachelorette party), wedding honeymoon, gifts, and home start-up.
What if the kwanjula does not happen, as is sometimes the case?
Even if the kwanjula does not happen, the policyholder is still assured of the full sum. There is even a provision for change of beneficiary.
This article is from Bride and Groom.