Urbanization fueling marriage dynamics among the Baganda of central Uganda

Fredrick Tumwine, Makerere University
James Ntozi, Makerere University

This paper examines changes in marriage practices and patterns of the Baganda the largest ethnic group in Uganda. The paper uses data obtained from primary data that included focus group discussions (FGDs) in the rural areas of four districts and Kampala city. It compliments it with secondary data. With 18% of Uganda’s population being urban and with 5.1% urban growth rate (UBOS, 2014), marriage practices and patterns have not been spared. It shows that some relevant marriage practices such as: “pulling”; parent involvement in choosing marriage partners; abstinence before marriage; using traditional items in payment of bride price and rare divorce rates are changing partly because of urbanization. Logistic regression analysis shows the impact of urbanization on cohabitation, secret marriage, polygamy and mixed marriage on the Baganda. The paper also recommends continuation and strengthening of good marriage traditions and discourages polygamy, secret marriages and cohabitation.