Susan Makula has responded to the backlash over her advice to women about relationships with men who are still renting, saying her comments were misunderstood.
Makula sparked debate while attending the Beauty Beyond The Scars event, where she encouraged women to be cautious about the relationships they enter. Her remarks drew criticism from some social media users who argued that renting should not determine whether a man is ready for marriage.
But Makula says she does not regret what she said.
“I don’t care,” she said, explaining that her comments were never intended to attack men who rent or suggest that it is wrong for a woman to marry someone who does not yet own a home.
Makula pointed to her own experience as part of that clarification.
“Those who want to understand and will also have girl children, I also started in a rental and now have tenants, with friends who still rent as well. It is absolutely okay to marry someone when you are still renting and work hard and leave it,” she said.
Her main concern, she explained, is what happens when women are left without adequate support or a stable living situation after becoming pregnant.
“What’s not right is to bring someone’s daughter and leave them there. Men making women pregnant and leaving them has been normalised, and it’s wrong,” Makula said.
Makula also clarified that she was particularly addressing women who receive keys to a man’s rented house and immediately interpret that gesture as proof that they have entered a secure, long-term marriage.
In her view, access to a rented home should not automatically be treated as conclusive evidence of financial or long-term stability. She encouraged women to look beyond the keys and consider whether their partners are working toward building a more permanent home.
The conversation also ties into Makula’s broader message about financial independence.
She said she encouraged women at the event to work and revealed that she gave out Shs 500,000 in financial support, with one woman receiving Shs 200,000 and another Shs 300,000.
“I also advised girls to work and even gave Shs 500,000 on that day. One woman received Shs 200,000 and another Shs 300,000, but many can’t even work because they are getting pregnant for men who don’t even have a home,” she said.
Makula’s clarification therefore shifts the focus of her original remarks from simply whether a man rents to the broader questions of stability, responsibility, support and women’s financial independence.