Burial of Masaka Businessman Bosco Ssenyonjo Bitanda and Children Delayed Amid Family Dispute

The burial of wealthy Masaka businessman Bosco Ssenyonjo Bitanda and his two children has been delayed following a dispute over where they should be laid to rest. One of the late businessman’s widows told the court that Bosco had told her while they were sleeping together that, if he died, he and his children should be buried on a new piece of land he had recently bought in Mukungwe. She said Bosco had even started building a mansion there, intending to retire on the property, though the house was never completed.

The widow’s claim, however, was strongly rejected by other family members. Relatives and Bosco’s mother told the court that the allegations were false. They said that while alive, Bosco’s son had warned him that the widow had once tried to harm him using poison and witchcraft after he started a relationship with a young woman with whom he had twin children.

Family members further argued that burying Bosco and his children on a newly purchased site would go against Buganda cultural norms. They said that moving the deceased from a recognized ancestral grave site could bring misfortune to the family. According to tradition, ignoring these customs could lead to the death of relatives until the family learns to respect cultural practices.

Bosco Ssenyonjo Bitanda tragically died this week along with his two children in a deadly accident on the slippery Entebbe Express Highway while heading to the airport.

The court is yet to make a final ruling on the burial, as relatives and the widow continue to present their sides of the story. Meanwhile, the family mourns the sudden loss of a father and his children, whose deaths have left a deep void in their community.