By Claire Balungi
Having grown up watching her right from Sunday School, Enock Mulema was pleased to take Gloria Mugambwa as his wife. She was just perfect for him as they’d been in the same circles for long and came to understand each other as friends. Besides, she had the qualities he wanted in a wife; a God-fearing light skinned lady with a good figure. “I was strict about those qualities, and I was lucky to find them in a friend,”notes Enock.
Wedding Day
At around 11 am on September 18, the pair tied the knot at Christ’s Church Kitintale and officially became husband and wife. Enock can’t certainly forget the moment he placed the ring on Gloria’s finger as it was a dream-come-true, “I always admired that moment, I said it had to happen to me one day and it happened.” The couple was as well blessed by their guests’ prayers. Over 100 people turned up to witness their church union and “that was amazing,” said the groom, adding “Seeing Gloria walk down the aisle with her father, coming to me, made me so happy.”
Enock will forever be pleased to have a wife that is calm, principled and God-fearing as he describes. After making her his wife, the couple went ahead and met their guests for a grand meal at Silver Springs Hotel, Bugolobi. They had budgeted for about 150 people on their total wedding budget of about Shs.10 million and these showed up, which pleased the couple who expressed their gratitude saying, “the people showing up for us meant a lot.” It was a perfect time to have a good time. Moreover, Enock’s best man, in his speech, reminded him about the time he joined ministry as a young man. Such were the points that made Enock so emotional. Needless to say, he’d met his wife through ministry at her father, Pastor Fred Mugambwa’s church in Kitintale.
Well, Enock never always had it in mind while they were young that he wanted to marry Gloria, but God kept him around, and one day, he expressed his interest in being her husband. It was at the tail-end of 2020, “We were just somewhere at a restaurant and I opened up. I said, (this is on my mind). She smiled and asked if I was serious, I said yes and told her I was ready to marry her.” recalls the groom. This is what worked as the proposal, as the couple did not have an officially arranged proposal. “I never found it hard, she received me once I told her how I felt.”
Introduction day
This especially came as a miracle to Enock as he didn’t expect that it would go that smoothly as the President had addressed the nation and instituted the second lock-down the night preceding the couple’s ceremony. This meant that restrictions were placed on movement, which made it hard for the guests to travel to the couple’s introduction. It geerally messed up the transport on that day. Cargo trucks were allowed to move and this made it easy for the bride price to be transported to Gloria’s father’s home in Bweyogerere, from Enock’s place in Kitintale. Recalling, it was a crazy morning for the groom on the day of his introduction, “I fidgeted a lot. I loaded the truck myself with the help of a cousin brother who was by me at that time. I had wrapped the gifts the previous night,”
Enock was happy that the introduction happened, he thinks someone else would have cancelled, owing to the restrictions on movement. He is grateful that people showed up for his introduction, about 30 were in attendance. The groom was transported by a company car that was allowed to move, while some of his guests had to walk from their homes to the venue. In much gratitude, the groom stated, “We missed some of the friends who were coming from far, but those that were able to walk to the venue for the introduction made it. A brother of mine came from Buddo on a bike. Some friends walked from Kiwatule to the venue. My aunt walked from Kitintale. Seeing that it all came to pass on such a day was such a blessing.”
