Gusaba is a Kinyarwanda tradition is the ceremony where the family of groom-to-be officially requests a girl as a bride

When her images first emerged from the event, the public was struck by her apparent young age, with many drawing parallels between her and Mr Gashumba’s daughter Sheila.

Mr Gashumba, however, is now defending his choice to marry young, dubbing those against it as haters

Appearing on Radio 4 last night, Mr Gashumba posed questions to his critics.

“Did you want me to marry (Annet) Nandujja or Namirembe Bitamazire? You say she is young, but is she underage?”

The critics, he said, “are failures; they are the kind that smoke pipes; they are the ones that have dated 1000 men and married none”

Gashumba also spoke out on why he did not pick a city woman, revealing that he has no connection with women who love and work in the city.

In Kampala here there are women born in Kyanja, Bugolobi, Kololo, Ntinda, Munyonyo and Mbuya, but I left them all and went to the end of the world in Ssembabule.

That means that the most valued things are hidden. It means that there is nothing that bonds me with the city women.

At the Gusaba, Gashumba’s in-laws asked for Shs 6 million in cash and 12 cows as bride price, which he delivered.