Kampala — A High Court judge has halted an attempt by the widow of the late businessman James Garuga to take sole control of his estate, instead placing the management of the multimillion property empire in the hands of the government’s Administrator General.
In a ruling delivered at the Family Division of the High Court in Kampala, Justice John Eudes Keitirima declined to grant temporary control of the estate to any of the feuding family members, citing deep divisions and a lack of neutrality among them.
The dispute pits the widow, Peace Kesiime, against her firstborn also customary heir Alwyn Musinguzi Garuga who challenged her bid to manage the estate alone further exposing a family rift over control of business empire of Kanungu business mogul whose cause of death is being questioned in courts of law.
At the centre of the case is the estate of the late James Garuga, a wealthy businessman whose interests span real estate and several companies.
Following his death, his widow petitioned court for letters of administration, seeking legal authority to manage and distribute his assets.
But her first born son, Alwyn quickly moved to block the process. He filed a caveat and a substantive suit questioning her suitability to single-handedly run the estate arguing that the vast wealth risked being mismanaged if left in one person’s control.
He then applied for temporary joint administration of the estate involving all beneficiaries, saying this would protect the assets until the main case is resolved.
In response, Ms Kesiime dismissed the allegations and told court she is the surviving spouse, fully capable of managing the estate, and had already been entrusted by the rest of the family.
She further argued that there was no immediate danger to the estate that would justify court intervention. According to her, several of the businesses cited by the applicant are registered companies, legally separate from her late husband’s personal estate.
In his ruling, Justice Keitirima acknowledged that the law allows court to appoint a temporary administrator to preserve an estate where disputes arise. However, he emphasised that such a person must be neutral, competent, and free from personal conflict.
Given the level of hostility among the parties, the judge found that none of the family members met that threshold.
“It is my considered view that a person granted letters of administration pendente lite should be impartial and have no conflict of interest,” the judge ruled.
He consequently appointed the Administrator General to take charge of the estate until the main suit where the question of who should ultimately manage the wealth will be decided—is concluded.
The decision effectively freezes the family out of direct control of the estate for now, placing the assets under state supervision.
For the Garuga family, however, the battle is far from over.
The substantive case challenging the widow’s fitness to administer the estate remains pending, and its outcome will ultimately determine who takes control of the tycoon’s legacy.
Against this background, Alwn Musinguzi Garuga is also in court questioning the circumstances under which his fathered died at Nakasero hospital in Kampala last year.
Court records filed before the High Court in Kampala (Civil Division) reveal that Musinguzi Alwyn Carl Garuga, the first son and heir of the late tycoon has dragged Peace Kesiime Bagorogoza (deceased’s wife) and her son Phillip Garuga to court seeking access to his father’s full medical records, surgery details, referral notes and cause-of-death documentation.
According to the application, Garuga Snr. was admitted to Nakasero Hospital in February 2025 with a dislocated hip, but was also diagnosed with diabetes. His son maintains that medical protocols dictate that a patient with freshly diagnosed diabetes should not undergo major surgery until at least three months later, once blood sugar levels stabilize.
Instead, Peace Kesiime Gagorogoza Garuga acting as the deceased’s next of kin and Philip Garuga forced the hospital into rushing a premature hip replacement surgery barely three weeks after the diabetes diagnosis, despite opposition from the family.
Court documents indicate that the procedure gravely compromised Garuga’s immunity, exposing him to pneumonia, a new cancer of the oesophagus and other complications that allegedly triggered his death.
The son further claims that his late father had already secured a UK visa, a confirmed medical air ambulance and in-patient admission at Cromwell Hospital in London, as well as a booked appointment at Royal Marsden Private Care on 11th August 2025.
But before he could be evacuated, Garuga Snr’s passport was confiscated and handed to the Turkish visa office, allegedly by Peace Bagorogoza and Philip crippling all efforts to fly him out.
As suspicions mounted, the son filed a Human Rights Enforcement Miscellaneous Cause (HCT-00-CV-MC-204-2025) in a bid to secure court orders to evacuate his father. But before the case could be heard, Garuga Snr. died on 6th August 2025—just days before his London medical appointments.
The son has since accused the mother and brother of collusion, concealment, and deliberately frustrating his father’s survival chances.
His lawyers’ requests for full disclosure of treatment records have reportedly been ignored, prompting the current application for interrogatories and discovery.
In his affidavit, Alwyn Carl insists that the circumstances surrounding his father’s death are “both actionable in civil and criminal jurisdiction,” and vows to pursue justice.
If the court grants Alwyn Carl’s application, Nakasero Hospital will be compelled to hand over all medical documents related to the tycoon’s treatment records which may either clear the mother and brother or expose a scandal of grave proportions.
