COURTESY PHOTO.
Gospel musician and former Member of Parliament for Buikwe District, Judith Babirye has issued an apology over her recent marriage, saying ‘it was not right.’
The 44-year-old in 2018 exchanged marriage vows with lawmaker Paul Musoke Sebulime at Las Vegas, Bunga in the central business district Kampala. This happened amid uproar as several reports indicated that Mr Sebulime was already married.
The ceremony was attended by the Vice president Edward Ssekandi, a handful of Church leaders among other dignitaries.
After 17 months, on 20 December 2019, family court judge Lady Justice Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya annulled the marriage on among others grounds of ‘cruelty’ following a petition by Mr Sebulime. At the same time, Ms Proscovia Nangobi, from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) termed the marriage as ”invalid.”
In a now-viral video published Sunday, the ‘Yesu Beera Nange’ singer apologised to the body of Christ, Mr Sebulime’s wife, nation and young Children who she said look up to her as a role model.
Full Statement
“I come to you my brother. I come to you my sister. Please forgive me. I repent and I apologize to the so many people that I hurt for my mistake. I apologize to the people whose hearts were broken and wounded in my second marriage. Please forgive me for that mistake.
I apologize to the body of Christ, that I took through a very troublesome time. Please forgive me; the pastors, my fellow believers.
I apologize to the nation of Uganda, please forgive me. I apologize to the children who look up to me as a role model, as an inspiration. Please forgive me, what I did was not right. Please forgive me, and I ask you to find a place in your hearts to forgive me.
And lastly, but most importantly I want to apologize to Miss Lukia Ntale. Forgive me. I don’t know how much I can stress this, but I am so sorry. What I did was not right. Please forgive me. Find space in your hearts to forgive me. Forgiveness is divine, I know it is not an easy thing, but I beg you, may God grant you grace to forgive me.
Thank you so much for pressing heaven to intervene in my life. I give God the glory. I send out a big ‘thank you’ to each and everyone. God bless you so much.”
‘Let us receive her back’
Months after the controversial marriage, Apostle John Bunjo and his wife Sarah Bunjo of Christian restoration Ministries International urged Ugandans to forgive Judith Babirye, and “receive her back as a sister.”
In a joint statement released then, through their official social media channels, the apostles challenged believers to respond to the scandal surrounding the Buikwe District Woman Member of Parliament as Jesus would.
The Apostles noted that God still has a lot that He expects from Judith: “We love you [no] matter what,” they said.
“I know for sure that Judith will come out of the mess and became a message to her audience. God is not done with Judith, he still has a lot He expects from her,” the statement read.
“I know many are going to throw stones at me, but one thing I want us to know is that Judith is a daughter of the kingdom despite her challenges. As Christians in Uganda and abroad, we know how Judith transformed the worship experience in our nation and abroad. There is no church in Uganda which doesn’t use Judith’s songs [during] worship services everyday. Let’s us forgive Judith and receive her back as a sister, What would Jesus do?,” the statement continued.
Pastor Michael Kyazze of Omega Healing Centre told the New Vision that time that legally and socially, Judith and Paul could get married but spiritually, “that marriage is questionable.”
