Listening to the “Spectrum” talk show on Radio One FM90 on the evening of 12th May 2022, I was happy to hear and to be educated on the highlights of Uganda’s new succession law. I loved to learn the fact that “the law under section 27 now maintains the traditional heir to a deceased person, except that this is a CEREMONIAL ROLE that does not entitle the heir to succession.”

This is consistent with genuine Iteso inheritance practices and norms. Among Iteso it is expected that a father will have already distributed his properties while he is still alive. And it was normally just the selection of the heir which was left until after his death and after the last funeral rights have been done. For significant men the formalization of their heir could be delayed to as long as at least one year after his death and until after the last funeral rights.

I do believe that my father honoured Iteso tradition. Through repeated oral proclamations, he gave us all our bit. And for some of us we immediately took possession of it and added on. And while he was still alive we became his pride and joy to see. Yes, our late father retained some of his assets for him to continue to live on, trusting that after his death, that which he had not given out his children would share amicably. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… this has not happened.

Imagine my shock after my father’s death when my alleged older sibling who had been given properties of his own, mismanaged them and even sold off land given to him to build his own ancestral home, came back and attempted to evict me from my homes which my father gave me; and which I have managed and improved on with excellence. Ayagala ekiwedde nakyo akitunde oba mbu. Aloooooo!

Imagine my shock when the greedy barbarian descended on my share of agricultural land and deliberately with intention to grab it damaged my orchard valued at over 220 million shillings. Ebe he is the self-appointed heir. Aloooooo!

With my Lawyer, Counsel Allan Ogoi, Partner at Okalang Law Chambers, at the entrance of Mbale High Court, after a hearing of my plea to courts to grant in my favour a temporary injunction and restraining order until such a time as my case of the malicious damage of my orchard is heard.

Imagine my shock when a clearly forged will purported to be of my late father was cooked up and the greedy barbarian purporting to be his heir had the lion’s share of the properties named in the purported will, including my homes – yes nga he has given himself my homes. Alooooo!

PRAY FOR ME and do whatever else you can do to help me within the law, for I have used the top quality education my father bequeathed to me and I challenged the purported will in a court of law. I pray that Court will declare the purported will forged, nullified and my father will be declared as having died intestate. And after that, with the guidance of the Administrator General, fairness and justice will prevail within the new law.

Meanwhile, as soon as I contested the purported will, the greedy barbarian has gone berserk harassing me left right and center. One day, I had gone to renovate my house and to beautify my father’s grave – build flowerbeds and plant flowers. The greedy barbarian sent his goons, under the leadership of a one Mubarak, who succeeded in stopping me, because they chased away my builders.

In the scuffle that ensued I got hurt. They had no qualms pushing me, bump there. They did this to me in my own home that is within my late father’s home. Alooooooo!

Not knowing that we had already delivered the building materials, he sent his goon, a one Charles Adungo or was it the Mubaraka again, to padlock the gate to my late father’s home and through which I pass, if driving to access my own home within my late father’s home. You can imagine ebe he is a learned fellow. Waaaaaaaa… The next morning I reported the incidence to our Village Chairman, who came to see for himself and confirmed the threats and harassment. May I be among the beneficiaries of the new law, I pray!

Featured photo: the home of my late father, Ejakait Engineer George William Obityo Owaraga, at Kadoki Village in Pallisa. My house which my father gave to me, I renovated and modified is in back.