In Kampala, Uganda, in April of last year, the media reported that 100 couples had filed for divorce. Among them was a pastor's wife, who claimed she had endured it for six years while her errant spouse had extra- marital affairs. Interestingly, most of his affairs were high profile, with the husband spending lavishly on weddings and wonderful receptions.

Another case involved a jealous woman who was imprisoned for life for callous and heartless crime. Her act was described as attempted murder because she splashed acid into the face of another woman she suspected of going with her man.

In contrast, a man who found his wife having a drink with another man went home and committed suicide because "he was tired of living with an adulterous wife," his note read. Whether suicide was the best and last resort is difficult to tell because we can- not get his opinion.

The other day women and girls with disabilities petitioned Uganda's parliament to legalize cohabitation. Through their representative who is also disabled, they presented a petition to parliament to enact a law on this.

Captain John decided that we would go from Seneca Falls at Locks CS 2&3 to Rochester, a distance of 50 miles. What makes this case pathetic is that Ugandan men behave omnivorously and satisfy their sexual desires by even going with disabled women. Then, because they are disabled, the men do not want to be seen with them. The result is that babies are born by runaway fathers who do not care for their children because there is no law binding them. That is why this group of desperate and helpless women is boldly making this move. They know the men go for them, and as human beings they also need them, but after that they disappear. The women want legal protection.

Uganda's legislature has been grappling with a legal framework to address domestic relations for the last 20 years. Dubbed "The Domestic Relations Bill," it is intended to address such sensitive and outdated issues like polygamy, bride price, cohabitation, marital rape, widow inheritance, and female genital mutilation. But whenever the bill is introduced on the floor of parliament, it meets a lot of resistance from diverse groups - men, women, and even religious leaders.

Polygamy alone speaks volumes. It makes Muslim leaders rise up in arms against the bill for trying to limit the number of women a man should marry. If it should become law, then for them a man must be allowed to marry a minimum of four wives as recognized by the Quran.

Some men and women are on the pragmatic side. They argue that since there is a shortage of men, polygamy should be legalized so that as many women as possible are covered. The real picture is that with or without the law, most Ugandan men have an extra partner somewhere hidden. The case of a lady who gave a press conference claiming she was customarily married to the vice president comes to mind.

Domestic relationships in Uganda seem to be shaky. Can the domestic relations law alone stabilize it?