To businessman Sulaiman Kabangala Mbuga, news of Saturday’s killing of Sheikh Maj Muhammad Kiggundu did not only come as that of another Muslim cleric murdered, but as a possible disruption to his big, fat wedding.
Mbuga was readying himself for the nikah (Islamic wedding) at Kibuli mosque when the news broke, and being part of the leadership at Kibuli, the slain cleric’s funeral was coming to the same place.
Mbuga had to get wed before the funeral, or risk being delayed till evening. His organisers communicated with Kibuli mosque Imam Sheikh Abdusalaam Mutyaba to reschedule the nikah to 10:30am.
“We had booked 1pm but we would be risking being delayed, and with mourners around, no one would allow us to play mataali here,” businessman Frank Gashumba, who was one of the organisers, told The Observer.
Mbuga arrived at about 10:20am in a convoy of sleek cars with personalised number plates. After minutes of frantic phone calls to ensure the bride, Jalia Birungi, adhered to the new time changes, it was established she was on her way.
One of Birungi’s brothers had to stand in for her father for the ceremony to proceed, since the latter had not been informed of the changes. As the wedding went on inside the mosque, some organisers standing in groups outside were overheard complaining that Sylvia Owori had mismanaged the estimated Shs 2bn wedding.
Mbuga contracted Owori as the events manager, but she reportedly inflated costs and mismanaged aspects of the week-long festivities that included lavish stag dos (kasiki) and a kwanjula.
For instance, while Mbuga had wanted an open bar at Silk Liquid where he held his kasiki, Owori allegedly limited drinks and gave out coupons to the annoyance of the committee.
Well, sheikhs conducting the wedding did not know the groom had a day earlier indulged in a sacrilegious act, seeing as Islam prohibits the drinking, sale, serving and buying of alcohol; otherwise, they would have cautioned him and asked him to repent.
The Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa and Prince Kalifan Lukanga Kakungulu asked the newlyweds to be compassionate and caring to each other and prayed for their marriage to last.
Birungi’s mahar (wedding gift) is Hajj (holy pilgrimage to Mecca) next year. The couple drove to Old Kampala mosque where they signed a visitors’ book and posed for photographs before heading to Serena Kampala hotel for their wedding reception.
At the reception, Jalia changed into a more glamorous lacy gown whose back came close to American reality star Kim Kardashian’s 2014 Versace creation.
With Patriko Mujuuka, Meddie Nsereko Ssebuliba, Miles Rwamiti and Robert Nkuhe on MC duty, Afrigo band, Sylvester Kyagulanyi, Irene Namatovu, Winnie Nwagi and Lillian Mbabazi among others, entertained guests.
sadabkk@observer.ug
