When Edwin Karugire sought President Yoweri Museveni’s approval to marry Natasha, his eldest daughter, the situation became quite challenging. Karugire found himself alone with the Head of State in the sitting room of State House Nakasero, creating an indelible memory from the late 1990s.
In a recently surfaced and widely circulated video, the city lawyer shared the daunting experience. He recounted entering the living room, finding President Museveni, First Lady Janet, and Natasha, his then-girlfriend. However, the situation took an unexpected turn as both Natasha and her mother exited the room, leaving Karugire in an intense one-on-one with the Commander in Chief.
During this nerve-wracking encounter, the President was engrossed in a silent viewing of a World War II documentary. Despite Karugire’s practiced presentation and memorized script, Museveni interrupted, instructing him to be quiet and not disturb the ongoing documentary. This marked the beginning of what Karugire described as the “longest 30 minutes of my life.”
As the documentary concluded, Museveni shifted the conversation, inquiring about Karugire’s alcohol consumption. In a state of nervous incoherence and dehydration, Karugire blurted out various answers simultaneously. Museveni took this opportunity to lecture him on the consequences of alcohol consumption, emphasizing how it renders people unconscious—a state the President had never experienced, which he attributed to his abstinence.
In an unexpected twist, Museveni even challenged Karugire to a duel to prove his strength. Politely declining the duel, Karugire persevered through this unusual meeting.
Fast forward 24 years, and Karugire and Natasha remain happily married. Affectionately known as Kukuru by her father, Natasha, born in 1976, holds the distinction of being President Museveni and Janet’s second-born and firstborn daughter. The union between Natasha and Karugire, who served as the President’s Private Secretary at the time, took place in 2000, attracting attention from prominent figures in Africa, such as Aysha M. Al Gaddafi, the daughter of the former Libyan president, Muammar Gaddafi.
Today, Edwin Karugire stands as a founding partner at one of Uganda’s leading law firms, KK Advocates, while his enduring marriage to Natasha continues to be a testament to overcoming even the most challenging beginnings.
