Don’t marry your sisters – Museveni weighs in on inter-clan marriage debate

President Museveni’s comments come just days after Pastor Joseph Serwadda of Victory Christian Centre sparked a national debate when he asserted in a service that inter-clan marriages are permitted in Christianity and in Ugandan laws.

President Yoweri Museveni has weighed in on the ongoing contentious debate surrounding inter-clan marriages, staunchly defending the traditional prohibition against marrying within one’s own clan.

Speaking this Friday afternoon while meeting clan leaders from the Buganda Kingdom, the President warned of the biological and genetic implications of such unions

“Human genetics is important, and it is part of our strength as a people. But that genetics is partly due to and rooted in our traditions,” Museveni stated.

“You are not allowed to marry somebody from your clan. You must cross and look into other clans. This is not just culture and tradition, but it is also biology and science, because when you marry people from your clan, you can produce children with defects. That in-breeding is what we call ‘Obutembane’ in Ankole.” 

Source: Pulse.