Court orders exhumation of Kikuubo trader’s body in 40b shilling estate row

The Mukono High Court orders the exhumation of a prominent Kampala trader’s body for a DNA test to resolve a bitter 40 billion shilling property dispute.

MUKONO, Uganda — The Mukono High Court ordered the exhumation of a prominent Kampala businessman’s body for a DNA paternity test to resolve a legal battle over a 40 billion shilling estate.

Haji Muhamad Katimbo, the former chairperson of the Kikuubo business community and operator of MHK General Agencies Limited, died Feb. 3, 2023. One of his elder daughters, Amina Namurondo, filed the lawsuit after being excluded from the estate distribution.

High Court Judge Jacqueline Mwondha ordered the exhumation to obtain samples for a kinship test, giving a one-month deadline from the June 1 ruling. However, the court required Namurondo to deposit 150 million shillings as security and bear all testing costs before the exhumation can proceed. Namurondo has objected to the financial deposit requirement.

The legal dispute, active since 2024, names Katimbo’s widow, Hawiya Nabaale, and her children, Mariam Nannozi and Hakim Kasirye, as respondents in their capacity as estate administrators. The defunct Uganda National Roads Authority is also listed as a respondent.

Court records show Katimbo owned 32 plots of land across Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts, including 15 plots in Mengo, eight in Mukono and nine in Budo, alongside a Range Rover.

Mwondha previously ordered a kinship test on May 4, directing the parties to the Government Analytical Laboratory. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs responded in a May 5 letter stating that sibling and kinship testing falls outside the laboratory’s scope, advising the parties to use another accredited facility.

Namurondo is seeking to revoke the letters of administration, claiming they were obtained improperly and fraudulently. She alleges her siblings have managed the properties and collected rental income for personal benefit while leaving her out.

She also contends the administrators omitted significant assets from the estate inventory, including an 80 percent shareholding in MHK General Agencies Limited, road authority compensation claims, bank accounts at Stanbic and Standard Chartered, two plots in Kyungu, a kibanja in Kigowa and additional land shares in Kyagwe.

The respondents denied the allegations, maintaining they lawfully obtained the administration letters after securing a certificate of no objection from the Office of the Administrator General.

The administrators dispute Namurondo’s biological ties to Katimbo, arguing she was never introduced to the family, did not attend the funeral or burial rites, and failed to provide details about her mother or past family interactions. They also cited inconsistencies in her name across various documents, where she is identified as both Amina Namulondo Katimbo and Amina Namurondo Katimbo.

The defense added that some properties were discovered only after they began managing the estate, denying any intentional concealment of assets.

Read Next Article