Luke Owoyesigyire: Police can’t arrest spouses for cheating

• Luke Owoyesigyire clarified that infidelity or cheating is not classified as a criminal offense in Uganda.
• As per Ugandan law, police cannot intervene in cases where spouses are caught in extramarital affairs, unless the matter involves elopement or a missing person report. 

The Deputy Spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan, Luke Owoyesigyire, has stated that it isn’t a crime for someone’s spouse to have an affair. During a discussion on a YouTube podcast hosted by Bina Babie and Doreen Nasasira, Owoyesigyire mentioned that if a person’s husband or wife goes to a lodge with another individual, it does not constitute a crime as far as the Police are concerned.

In other words, under Ugandan law, infidelity is not considered a criminal act. Thus, if anyone anticipated that they could involve the police in resolving such matters, they should not waste their time.

He further explained that this can only be deemed a crime when a person has eloped and changed locations. In that case, it is reported as a missing person incident.

“If you find that your spouse has gone to a lodge with someone else and you catch them in the act by sneaking or spying, we cannot offer you assistance as Police. It does not fall under a criminal offense according to the law. So if you were hoping for the police to intervene and arrest the other person, we cannot do that. The only situation where we would intervene is when that person has switched locations and goes missing for a few days,” he clarified.

Infidelity among couples has frequently been a societal issue. Many of these situations have escalated to violent confrontations, occasionally leading to fatal outcomes.

Individuals often choose to take matters into their own hands, being aware that the legal system will not assist them. This is a concern that netizens have highlighted as a significant loophole that needs to be addressed.