The increasingly bitter fight over the estate and affairs of businessman Hajji Mohammed Majid Bagalaaliwo has taken a new turn, with two people whose names appear as founding directors of the controversial Bagalaaliwo Foundation Limited telling police that their signatures were either forged or obtained under circumstances they did not fully understand.
Issa Wankinyankali and Ali Mpaata, who are listed among the people who allegedly participated in the establishment of the foundation, have separately recorded statements before the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), disowning their alleged roles in the foundation.
The development has added another layer to an investigation in which questions have been raised over the authenticity of documents used to establish the foundation, the identity of its founders and the circumstances under which the documents were allegedly executed.
The two men are also reported to have told investigators that they are not core members of the Bagalaaliwo family, raising questions about how and why their names came to feature prominently in documents relating to an organisation purporting to be connected to the family estate.
Wankinyankali, one of the alleged signatories, recorded his statement at KMP East, according to information provided to this newspaper. He reportedly told investigators that he was misled by Sarah Nanziri Bagalaaliwo into signing documents connected to the foundation. Mpaata, the second non-family member whose name reportedly appears in the foundation documents, also recorded a statement and maintained that his signature was forged.
Their accounts are now part of the material being examined by investigators as they try to establish how the foundation was registered and who was responsible for the documents submitted during the registration process.
Commissioner of oaths questioned
The investigation has also reached the commissioner of oaths whose name is reportedly associated with the disputed documents. The commissioner has recorded a statement and, according to information provided to this newspaper, denied witnessing the registration documents attributed to her.
She reportedly told investigators that the document bearing her details was itself forged and that she never witnessed the registration of the foundation. If confirmed by forensic examination and other evidence, the competing accounts could become important in determining the circumstances surrounding the foundation’s registration. At this stage, however, the allegations remain subject to investigation. A police inquiry and a person’s statement to investigators do not, by themselves, establish criminal liability.
Bashir challenges foundation
The latest developments have further intensified the dispute within the Bagalaaliwo family.
At the centre of the controversy is Hajji Bagalaaliwo, a prominent businessman who remains in a coma. A section of the family, led by his son Bashir Balozi Mohammed Bagalaaliwo, has questioned the legality and authenticity of documents purporting to establish the foundation. Bashir has himself disputed the appearance of his name and signature among the alleged founders. He has also questioned the authenticity of his father’s signature.
According to Bashir, the dates appearing on the foundation documents raise a fundamental question: whether his father could have participated in establishing or signing the documents at the time indicated. Bashir’s position is that his father was already in a coma when the documents were purportedly created or signed. He has therefore asked investigators to examine the dates, signatures and circumstances surrounding the foundation’s creation.
In a statement on the dispute, Bashir said the issue was no longer simply an internal family disagreement but one requiring independent investigation. “My concern is that documents are being presented as though they were signed by my father and members of the family at a time when my father was already in a coma. We want the truth established through proper investigation and forensic examination.” The allegations surrounding the foundation are particularly sensitive because they concern the affairs and property of one of Uganda’s prominent business families.
Family succession and property battle
The current dispute is the latest chapter in a long-running contest over Bagalaaliwo’s business interests and property. Court records show that members of the Bagalaaliwo family have for decades been involved in significant commercial and property transactions.
In a 2020 High Court case concerning Century Bottling Company, court records traced the company’s ownership structure to Mohammed Magid Bagalaaliwo, Sarah Bagalaaliwo and other family members. The records show that several members of the family subsequently acquired shares in the company. Century Bottling Company are the producers of carbonated soft drinks (sodas such as Coca-Cola), juices under the Minute Maid brand, Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water, and Predator and Power Play Energy drinks. They also operate a plastics recycling plant, Plastics Recycling Industries (PRI), in Nakawa, Kampala.
The family has also previously been involved in major property litigation. In a case decided by the Court of Appeal, records showed that Bagalaaliwo acquired property in Kololo after a transaction involving the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board and subsequently successfully defended his ownership through litigation.
Bashir himself has been involved in litigation concerning property and business dealings. In 2023, the High Court considered a suit in which Bashir Bagalaaliwo Balozi sought recovery of property he said had been left in another person’s custody. These historical disputes provide context to the present fight, although they do not establish the truth or falsity of the current allegations.
Gift deeds become another flashpoint
Another issue being examined concerns property which Hajji Bagalaaliwo allegedly gifted to some of his children. Bashir says his father gifted land in Mukono to him and another family member, with the transaction witnessed by Hajji Fazal Jjingo Kasujja. The dispute over the property has now entered the police investigation, with concerns raised over the concealment of the land title and the authenticity of documents associated with the transaction.
A statement was reportedly recorded at Jinja Road Police Station concerning the alleged concealment of the title. The complainant is said to have asked that the disputed documents be sent to the United States or United Kingdom for forensic examination, arguing that she does not have confidence in the capacity of the Uganda Police Force to conduct the examination.
There is, however, an important distinction in the family property dispute. Bashir’s account is that his father also gifted land to Sarah Nanziri Bagalaaliwo in another part of Mukono, but that particular gift has not been contested by other family members.
Four daughters summoned
As investigators widen their inquiry, CID has summoned Sarah Nanziri Bagalaaliwo and her four daughters to answer questions concerning the disputed documents and transactions. The daughters are Adilan Naseem Nalulyo Bagalaaliwo, Faridah Marvel Bagalaaliwo, Sharifah Babirye Bagalaaliwo and Naseeba Nakato Bagalaaliwo.
According to information available to this newspaper, the four daughters, like their mother, have not responded to the summons. Their failure to appear has become another point of contention within the family.
It is important, however, that being summoned by police does not mean that an individual has been found guilty of an offence. The purpose of questioning is to allow investigators to obtain information, test competing accounts and establish whether there is sufficient evidence to support any criminal charges.
Banker daughter drawn into controversy
The controversy has also raised questions about the professional implications for one of Sarah’s daughters, Adilan Naseem Nalulyo Bagalaaliwo, who works as a bank manager at Stanbic Bank.
Family members have questioned how allegations concerning documents, signatures and property transactions could affect a person working in the banking industry, where integrity, compliance and proper documentation are central to professional responsibilities.
The concerns are allegations at this stage and should not be treated as a finding against Adilan or her employer. Similarly, Sharifah Babirye is reported to work with Médecins Sans Frontières, while Naseeba Nakato is associated with Film Independent in Los Angeles. Their employment does not establish any connection between their professional activities and the allegations under investigation.
The family dispute has nevertheless brought renewed scrutiny to the conduct of all people whose names appear in the disputed foundation and property documents.
The forensic question
The central question now confronting investigators is whether the disputed signatures and documents can withstand forensic examination.
The statements of Wankinyankali, Mpaata and the commissioner of oaths provide investigators with three accounts challenging the authenticity or circumstances surrounding the foundation documents. The allegations concerning Hajji Bagalaaliwo’s signature add another dimension.
If the documents were allegedly signed when he was already in a coma, investigators will have to establish the precise dates of his medical condition, when the documents were prepared, who had access to them and when and where the signatures were allegedly appended.
Forensic examination of signatures, paper, ink, document metadata and registration records could potentially help investigators reconstruct what happened. Until that process is completed, the competing versions remain allegations. For Bashir and other members of the family challenging the foundation, however, the investigation represents an attempt to establish whether the organisation was legitimately created or whether documents were used to give it an appearance of family authority.
For those named in the investigation, the summons provide an opportunity to answer the allegations and explain their respective roles. The battle over the Bagalaaliwo estate has therefore moved beyond a family disagreement and into a formal investigation touching on corporate records, property documents, signatures, professional conduct and the alleged creation of a family foundation.
With several witnesses having already recorded statements, the focus now shifts to the evidence: who signed what, when the documents were signed, who witnessed them and whether the signatures and records are genuine. The answers could have significant consequences for the future management of the Bagalaaliwo estate and for the competing claims of family members seeking control over the businessman’s property and legacy.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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