Derrick Niwamanya and Happy Norah Amooti tied the knot on September 8, 2024. Derrick first saw her in 2016 when he was studying in Fort Portal. Young and less confident then, Derrick did not approach her but would see her from a distance as she walked with her sisters, who belonged to a singing group.
“I would see her from a distance but I did not have the confidence and the opportunity to approach her so l let things be. I moved on and I believed she also moved on.”
As luck would have it, Derrick then found out that they both belonged to the same social group in 2021 so he took the initiative to start the conversation and introduced himself.
To Norah, Derrick was a stranger but little did she know that he had done a lot of homework about him and knew almost every detail about her. Derrick says, “She is very calm, understanding, God fearing, caring to her sisters and beautiful. When we coincidentally got in the same WhatsApp group, I luckily got her number and did not want to lose her again.”
“When he sent me a text, I did not know who he was but I was surprised at how much he knew me. He knew about my sisters and knew each of them by name. I was hesitant even replying to his texts but he was persistent in everything he did,” Norah says.
Not forthcoming
They kept on chatting but Norah was not forthcoming. Many times, Derrick asked that they meet physically on a date but she kept declining to it preferring to be friends. The distance between them also worsened their situation since Derrick was working in Mbarara and Norah in Wakiso.
“Three days after I introduced myself to her, I made it clear that I did not want her for a friend because I had lots of them. I told her that I wanted her to date me and that I hoped that our relationship would morph into a marriage. I never wanted her to friend-zone me.”
After six months of persistence, Norah agreed for a date with him and the condition was that if she met him and did not like him, then they would part ways.
“I was testing his persistence but we also had an agreement that we would only continue if I liked him,” he recalls.
“I did not have any high expectations,” says Norah.
“I hate men that over promise and he was not the type. He was also very gentle as we talked on the phone. I was moved and finally gave him a chance for us to meet.”
On their first date in April 2022, they took selfies and made the best out of the day with several discussions and when they parted that evening, Norah shared his photo with her sisters to really find out if they knew him. They declined to comment but commended that he was not a bad choice.
“I liked him because he was very calm and indeed he deserved a chance. After the date, we continued chatting but the distance between us was very unfavorable.”
Getting closer
Fortunately, in June 2023, Norah got a job in Mbarara and this now brought them closer and had more time to hang out and attend church together. At that time, Derrick was upgrading into a bachelors’ degree and had informed her that he would be ready for marriage as soon as he graduated. He worked while he studied but he did not let these engagements limit their relationship.
“With time, I noticed that Norah was not only beautiful but she was also less demanding because she would understand that I was studying and working at the same time and she was very supportive.”
On December 7, 2023 he surprisingly proposed to her at a friend’s birthday party and this filled her with emotions. “A friend tricked me to the party and when I got there, he was kneeling on one knee. I said yes because over time, I had grown to love him,” Norah recalls.
They had their kukyaala also in December that year since he only had a semester left to graduate. Derrick came up with the dates for their introduction and wedding.
From a little savings and support from family and friends, they had their events 10 days apart. They agreed that their wedding would have been a perfect day if they had used a different service provider for decoration.
Their best moments were when Norah was walking down the aisle with her father and the time they were making the vows. “When I got to church, I found him singing… a special song for me… I could not be happier by the gesture he made to me.”
For the few weeks they have been together, they believe that marriage is a beautiful thing. “I feel like I found my missing part. Marriage is about finding a suitable partner. There are so many things that I have learnt to do. Many of them I used not to do when I was single. I now have another pair of hands and a mind to think and plan for the future.”
He urges married people to be patient, accommodative and learn to understand your partner. He also notes that sometimes, you may have to compromise some things to please your partner.
Norah has learnt to be respectful, cooperative and apologetic when you are wrong. “Do not expect too much when you are still dating. I wish girls would not be so demanding when they are dating. This drives away potential men of marriage material because you act so vulnerable,” she warns.
“I am more extravagant but she knows how to handle finances. I have a job and we have a business that we run together but she is more in control. When we earn, we bring money together in a pool and we plan on what to do with it,” Derrick says.
