In 1989, Uganda lost a father, an educator, and a man of integrity — the late Pius Grace Ssesanga. His death should have been followed by the dignified preservation of his legacy. Instead, it ignited a decades-long saga of betrayal, manipulation, and alleged land grabbing that continues to haunt his children, who are his estates beneficiaries, a saga that now spans more than thirty years or so, long after the old man’s tragic death.
Once the respected director of St. Francis Secondary School in Mengo, Kampala, Ssessanga died under deeply suspicious circumstances, allegedly having been poisoned. But this is not a story for telling tonight. Hold onto it there. Back to the Ssesanga’s legacy, estate and problematic family escapades. What is even more alarming is the turmoil that engulfed his estate after his passing. Despite leaving a valid Will instructing that none of his properties be sold, his legacy has been under systematic assault — not only from external actors, but, tragically, from within his own family.
The story
In 1981, Mr. Ssessanga lawfully purchased a kibanja in Ziranumbu, Busabala, in Wakiso District. In 1982, around two years later, Christopher Sekimpi, one of the witnesses to the purchase, initially officially registered a larger piece of the land which also contained Mr. Ssessanga’s kibanja, into his own name and later in 1985, sold a part of it to Mr. Eridard Muliira, father of Mr. Peter Muliira and Dr. Ham Mukasa Muliira.
Fast forward, Ssessanga passed away in 1989 before officially registering his kibanja interest, leaving behind a widow and six minor children. The High Court granted the Administrator General authority over his estate with the will annexed. While the family continued in possession and use of the land, their interest remained unregistered, a gap that would later be exploited, giving rise to the present disputes over ownership and control.
Enter the Muliiras:
In 2020, when Peter Mulira, acting as administrator of his father’s estate, re-entered the land, the Ssessanga family introduced themselves. He dismissed them as illegal squatters, even though their purchase occurred four years before his father’s acquisition of the larger parcel and its official registration.
What followed was a series of contested actions, that led to felling or destruction of mature eucalyptus trees, fences to the land torn down, illegal surveys conducted, as alien individuals surfaced, claiming to have bought parts of the land from Peter Muliira. In response, the Ssessanga family lodged a series of caveats to protect their interest.
In 2022, Dr. Ham Mukasa Muliira was appointed co-administrator of his father’s estate. In 2024, the Ssessanga family’s registered caveats were unexpectedly vacated by the land registry, reportedly in connection with a process to “correct irregularities” in prior land transactions. The plot was subsequently restored to its original number without any caveats, after which Peter Mulira and Dr. Ham Mukasa Muliira divided it between themselves, each assuming ownership of a portion of the plot.
While the exact circumstances surrounding the caveat removals remain unclear, their timing has left the family questioning whether they were linked to the administrative changes. Since then, tensions have surged: late-night intrusions, attempted land grabs, constant surveillance by known land brokers, and graders stationed at strategic points near the land.
Family division:
The family itself is divided. This has itself worked in favour of the land grabbing Muliira’s. Of the six siblings, two appear to have aligned with Dr. Ham Muliira, even as he seeks to apportion their interest in a way that leaves them with less land than they originally held. The other four siblings are fighting to defend their father’s will and have petitioned the High Court (HCS 427 of 2024) to revoke the Administrator General’s authority, citing mismanagement.
The four siblings allege that Dr. Ham Muliira, working through successive legal firms, such as Ssekidde Associated Advocates and Mpanga Advocates has acted in coordination with the two dissenting siblings while pressuring the other four to appoint administrators in what he terms as assisting him in “dealing with his land.” The four siblings have refused to budge because they regard this as bypassing the ongoing court process.
These siblings further claim that one of his legal representatives, Ssekidde Associated Advocates went as far as intentionally misleading local authorities in Ziranumbu into believing that all the siblings’ legal teams had met and agreed to allow Dr. Ham to grade the land, an assertion the four beneficiaries and their legal team firmly deny.
Concerns at Wakiso land office:
Serious allegations and concerns also surround the Kyadondo Lands Office in Wakiso District regarding the handling of the four siblings’ caveats. According to the search record, a beneficiary’s caveat lodged on 20th May 2025 was removed less than a month later, under a “court order”, yet no such order was ever served to or through the estates beneficiaries’ lawyers.
Another beneficiary’s caveat, also lodged on 20th May 2025, was marked as “Caveat Lapse” , a highly irregular occurrence, since beneficiary caveats can only be removed through a court process, not by lapse. A further caveat, submitted and registered on 1st August 2025 with documentation clearly indicating a claim as beneficiaries under a will, was instead categorized under “Others” rather than “Beneficiary’s Caveat.”
This misclassification has now been followed by a notice of intended lapse on 12th August 2025; a step the four siblings believe was taken to fast-track its removal without judicial oversight. The siblings maintain that such actions undermine the protective purpose of a beneficiary’s caveat and prejudice their ability to safeguard their late father’s estate.
In this cat-and-mouse game, the four siblings have endured emotional stress and financial loss, with no end in sight. They say they have been left vulnerable and unprotected. Some, including Dr. Martina Nanteza, fear returning to Uganda due to intimidation, illegal trespass, and growing insecurity on the disputed land.
This is more than a private land dispute; it is a test of Uganda’s justice system. It raises urgent questions about whether power and influence can override due process, leaving rightful owners defenceless. The late Pius Grace Ssesanga devoted his life to teaching integrity and honour. Whether those values still hold weight will be judged by how this case is resolved. Will justice come for the Ssessanga family — or will another Ugandan legacy fall to greed and power?
Author Profile
- Mr. Daniels N. Tatya is an affluent Sports Writer, Commentator and Editor. His over 15 years of covering almost major sporting events makes him a revered and an authority on investigative Sports journalism in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected] +256(0)758268315
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