Men And Women Who Propose To Marry And Fail To Fulfill The Promise “Will” Be Sued??

Theirs A New Marriage Bill yet to be passed that has the potential of  entitling the accuser a compensation if the party who proposed marriage failed to fulfill the promise.

I feel this will be a great turn to those who propose marriage to another without fulfilling the promise through breaking up the engagement.

The only issue here is how will the accuser submit the burden of proof and what if the accused was put in that position un willingly. These are some questions which will surely create a lot of reactions from those who find themselves in such positions.

The Marriage Bill, which is set for formal introduction in the National Assembly Tuesday afternoon, seeks to consolidate the seven current laws on the institution.

It also rerecognizes polygamy, the payment of bride price for customary marriages and also provides for the various grounds on which a couple can seek divorce.

It regulates Christian, civil, customary and Hindu marriages, which were previously under separate laws.

The Bill says in Section 74 that even though a promise by a person to marry another person is not legally binding, the partners who feel they have suffered as a result of a broken promise can seek compensation.

The interesting part is also men who secretly marry additional wives could also be in trouble as the Bill states that before a man is allowed to take another wife, the current wife or wives will be required to give their approval.

The notification of that marriage to the Director of Marriages is required to indicate whether the current wife or wives have been informed, whether they approve or disapprove and their reasons for approving or disapproving the marriage.

Will wait and see how this turns out…