bride herself or her official agent for instance in Kiganda culture to the official aunt (Ssenga), who is freely chosen by the bride herself from among her aunts or her very close relatives from her paternal side whether she consents to the marriage. The bride or her aunt’s answer is the conclusive evidence of such consent or lack of it. That act is greatly respected at the introduction ceremony (Okwanjura) in Kiganda culture. Okwanjula is defined in the ‘Enkuluze y’Oluganda eye’Makerere’ (The Luganda Dictionary) as “Omuwala okulaga bazadde be omulenzi gwaba asiimye okufumbirwa” translated as the function at which a girl introduces or shows to her parents the boy she has chosen to marry. Further still, in the very rare cases where the girl may feel she is being forced into a marriage with someone not of her choice, either shortly before or at the night preceding the wedding day the girl will just vanish (okubula) from her parents’ home in most cases with the active assistance of the official aunt who is usually fully in the know of the reason for the girl’s attitude and protest. But this is very rare indeed. The meaning of ‘Okwanjula’ as sown above necessarily embodies consent. The culture of the Kikuyu, one of the nationalities in Kenya, is another example of an elaborate process of ascertaining whether or not the bride consents to the marriage. In Mwangiru Vs Mumbi 1967 E.A 639 the customary marriage between a man and woman was found invalid for lack of the woman’s consent because on one of the two occasions where such consent was to be given by the bride and ascertained, the bride chose to hide away from the second occasion and her absence was held to be her expression of lack of consent. I accept the contention of the respondents that since in Uganda there is a variety of marriage options from which those who intend to get married can choose, when two adults choose to get married in a customary marriage where bride wealth is recognized as a pre-condition to such marriage, then they do accept to observe all the features that go with it. None of them should, therefore, be heard or complain that her or his consent is fettered unless there is satisfactory evidence to support the contrary view. I therefore, find in the negative to this issue. Issue (h). The complaint in this issue is whether the payment of bride price by the bride groom renders the wife an unequal partner in marriage contrary to Article 31 (3) of the Constitution. Article 31 (3)of the constitution quoted in and relied on by the parties to the petition as their framed and agreed issue (h) does not address the issue of equal rights of the parties to the marriage. It is concerned with entrance into marriage by the parties thereto with their free consent. It provides:“31 (3) marriage shall be entered into with the free consent of the man and woman intending to marry. 49