[Ugnet] Binaisa speaks about new love

[Owor Kipenji]

Binaisa speaks about new love
By Simon Kasyate
Dec 5, 2004

KAMPALA — "I am very excited. God has answered my prayers. I was looking for a woman I would love, respect and share with the last moments of my life and Tomoko here perfectly fit. She did me a great favour accepting my hand in marriage during the evening of my life." Only a man in love can gush like that. And indeed the man is in love. He is former President Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa. He was talking of his new wife Tomoko Yamamoto. LOVE IS IN THE AIR: Binaisa and his Japanese wife Yamamoto at his home in Muyenga (Photo by Ismail Kezaala). In an exclusive interview with Sunday Monitor at his Muyenga home on Friday, 84-year-old Binaisa could not contain his joy as he constantly smiled and held Ms Yamamoto's hand. Japanese-born Yamamoto returned the effusive feeling, saying Binaisa was her gift from God. "I have great respect for him; he is a man of integrity, with a passion of love for his nation and of course very romantic," she said. This is Yamamoto's second marriage, her first having been in 1969. It ended in 1977. She has a daughter from that union. Asked why it has taken her over 25 years to remarry, 58-year-old Yamamoto said her priority was to raise her daughter without divided loyalty. The Binaisas arrived on Wednesday from Columbus, Ohio, in the United States, where Yamamoto has lived for more than 30 years. Their civil wedding will take place on December 16. "We shall register before a High Court judge for civil authority to recognise our marriage and then later host our guests to a reception at the Speke Resort Munyonyo," said a beaming Binaisa, who lost his first wife Marjorie last year. President Museveni has confirmed attendance and has also agreed to sign invitations for some African Presidents, present and past, who are slated to attend. Some of the Presidents expected are Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria - an acquaintance of Binaisa since the early 1960s. Former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi and former Kenyan Attorney General Charles Njonjo are also expected. In all, some 500 guests are lined up to grace the occasion. The couple was wed via satellite on July 26, during a mass ceremony conducted by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church. Yamamoto has been managing a number of Moon's businesses in the United States such as restaurant chains, wholesale businesses and tourism bureaux. She has since relinquished those duties and will now live in Uganda. "I am looking at the possibility of getting involved in natural healing through herbs and reflexology here," said Yamamoto, who has a background in pharmacy. She, however, quickly added that her main purpose was to be by her husband's side, to support him in all he does. Already she is in love with the weather, the food (especially matooke and pineapples) and says Ugandans are a very receptive people. Binaisa believes his marriage will play a significant role in uniting Uganda and Japan some more.

© 2004 The Monitor Publications

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