For an outsider, the memorial service marking the first anniversary of the death of Ugandan entrepreneur and industrialist Dr James Musinguzi Garuga at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero, in Kampala, appeared to be an opportunity for a family embroiled in bitter estate disputes to reconcile, remember their patriarch and move on.
The ceremony, attended by prominent figures including former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and former Inspector General of Government Beti Kamya, was characterised by prayers, solemn hymns and tributes to a businessman whose life and work left a significant mark on Uganda’s business landscape.
Yet beneath the solemnity of the occasion lay a deep and unresolved family dispute. Instead of bringing closure, the memorial service exposed once again the divisions surrounding the late Garuga’s estate, with his widow, Dr Peace Kesiime Musinguzi, and their eldest son, Musinguzi Carl Alwyn Garuga, publicly trading serious accusations.
Garuga died at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala on August 6, 2025, aged 71. He was survived by his wife, Dr Peace Kesiime Musinguzi, and their four children: Musinguzi Carl Alwyn Garuga, Musinguzi Rowena, Musinguzi Johnny and Musinguzi Philip.
Garuga was a prominent businessman with substantial interests and property holdings in the Kigezi sub-region, Entebbe, Kampala and other parts of Uganda.
His death, therefore, did not simply leave behind a grieving family. It also left an extensive business empire and estate whose management has since become the subject of legal and public controversy.
A Family Divided
At the memorial service, Mrs Musinguzi used her address to speak openly about the difficulties the family has experienced since the death of her husband. She accused her eldest son, Alwyn, of having engaged in what she described as fraudulent tendencies and of having been estranged from his father for several years.
“Our family has been through a lot of pain, though of recent this is something I must talk about. I believe all of you have read the numerous captions in all forms of publications,” she said.
“My oldest son Alwyn has been fraudulent and has had fraudulent tendencies for a long time. He actually sued James in 2019 and, consequently, has been estranged since then.”
She said the family’s problems intensified immediately after Garuga’s death. “Immediately following James’ passing, Alwyn did not even allow us to mourn our dear one. He immediately embarked on false, slanderous accusations against me and our long-time business partners, especially Canon Agaba Maguru,” she said.
Mrs Musinguzi said the family initially chose not to respond publicly to the accusations in an attempt to contain the dispute.
“Alwyn has since teamed up with Matthew Rukikaire to file numerous court cases, supposedly to protect my husband’s interests in the numerous companies from me and Agaba Maguru, alleging that we are fraudulently assuming control of the companies,” she added.
She defended Agaba Maguru’s involvement in the family businesses, saying he had been a business partner and signatory to company bank accounts since their inception.
She also accused Rukikaire of having been involved in legal disputes concerning the companies for more than two decades. “This has caused us a lot of pain and distress, but we are hopeful all this will come to a logical end,” Mrs Musinguzi said.
She thanked relatives, friends and other supporters who had stood with the family during what she described as a difficult period.
Alwyn Hits Back
Shortly after his mother’s address, Alwyn responded in an online video, strongly rejecting her account of the family’s history. His response introduced an even more disturbing dimension to the dispute, with the businessman questioning the circumstances surrounding his father’s final illness and death.
Alwyn alleged that his father’s treatment had been mishandled, claiming that attempts to secure specialised medical treatment abroad were frustrated.
He went further, alleging that he believed his father may have been deliberately killed as part of an attempt to gain control of his wealth and business interests.
These are serious allegations, and they remain claims made by Alwyn rather than established findings of fact. Alwyn specifically accused his mother and people around his father’s business interests of frustrating attempts to obtain specialised medical care.
He also rejected his mother’s claim that he had teamed up with former minister Matthew Rukikaire to fight his father.
The Rukikaire Connection
Alwyn said Rukikaire had been a family friend for decades and that his relationship with Garuga dated back to their time working together at Shell Uganda.
“Matthew Rukikaire was always a family friend from whenever we were very young children,” Alwyn said.
“My late dad, Garuga, and Honourable Rukikaire met and worked together at Shell Uganda. My dad was an accountant there and Rukikaire also worked there. From those days at Shell, they were very close and became business partners to date.”
Alwyn said Rukikaire was a shareholder in Garuga Properties Ltd, a company incorporated in 1980, before Alwyn was born.
He argued that Rukikaire’s involvement in the company therefore predated the current family dispute by several decades.
Alwyn also invoked the history between his father and Rukikaire, particularly their association during the political struggles that culminated in the National Resistance Movement’s rise to power. “Honourable Rukikaire is a good man,” he said, describing him as a person he respected despite their different political affiliations.
He accused his mother and some business associates of attempting to remove individuals who opposed what he described as fraudulent schemes. According to Alwyn, he believed he had experienced the same treatment.
The Shs850 Million Dispute
Alwyn also rejected his mother’s claim that he had taken his father to court. He explained that his legal dispute arose from a commercial transaction involving tea seedlings supplied by his company. “You heard my mother today talk about how I took my father to court. I did not take my father to court,” he said.
“I supplied my tea seedlings under my company in 2014, and I was expecting Shs850 million from it. They paid me Shs27 million, then Shs50 million after some botched negotiations, even an MOU, all that orchestrated by that same Maguru and Peace Kesiime.”
Alwyn said he had taken the company that owed him money to court rather than suing his father personally.
He claimed he eventually received only about Shs97 million against the Shs850 million he expected.
“So, when she says I took my father to court, I took a company I supplied to court. I was expecting Shs850 million; they didn’t pay me. They paid me only Shs97 million. So they wanted me to do what exactly?” he asked. Alwyn said he believed his conduct throughout the dispute had been guided by the law. “I always follow the law. I am not like them,” he said.
The NAADS Money Dispute
Alwyn also referred to another legal battle involving Kigezi Highland Tea Company Ltd and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).
He said he had participated in court proceedings as an amicus curiae—a friend of the court—during proceedings relating to a consent judgment involving NAADS and his father’s company.
According to Alwyn, the dispute concerned approximately Shs142 billion that was intended for payment to farmers’ individual accounts. He alleged that the implementation of the consent judgment subsequently became controversial, accusing individuals associated with the company of diverting money.
Alwyn further alleged that his father himself lost approximately Shs11 billion through what he described as fraudulent transactions.
These claims, like his allegations concerning his father’s death, have not been established as facts in the material presented and remain part of his broader accusations concerning the management of the family business empire.
The Estate Battle Moves to Court
The family dispute has not been confined to public statements and social media exchanges.
It had already entered the courts months after Garuga’s death. In September 2025, Alwyn filed a caveat seeking to prevent his mother from obtaining sole administration of his father’s estate.
The dispute subsequently escalated to the High Court, which appointed the Administrator General to temporarily oversee the estate amid the increasingly bitter disagreements among family members. The intervention reflected the difficulty the family faced in jointly managing an estate involving substantial business interests and property.
The court process has consequently become another chapter in a dispute that has increasingly moved from the boardroom and family home into the public arena.
Dancing on Garuga’s Grave?
The increasingly public nature of the dispute has raised uncomfortable questions about whether the battle is really about preserving Garuga’s legacy or controlling the wealth he left behind.
For his widow, the accusations against her son amount to an assault on her character and an attempt to undermine the family’s management of the estate.
For Alwyn, the dispute is about accountability, transparency and what he portrays as an effort to protect his late father’s wealth and businesses from those he believes are attempting to take control.
The two narratives could hardly be more different. One presents a grieving widow attempting to protect her husband’s legacy from what she considers destructive family interference.
The other presents an aggrieved son who believes that those entrusted with his father’s affairs failed him during his final illness and are now attempting to control the estate.
At the centre of the dispute is the late Garuga himself—a businessman whose death has exposed divisions that appear to have existed long before his passing.
A Legacy at Stake
The tragedy of the Garuga family dispute is that it risks overshadowing the life and achievements of the man whose legacy the family claims to be defending.
Garuga built businesses, accumulated property and established relationships that stretched across Uganda’s political and commercial establishment.
But after his death, the question of who should control those assets has become a source of intense conflict. The allegations surrounding his final days have made the dispute even more complicated.
Alwyn’s claims that his father was denied specialised medical treatment and may have been deliberately killed are particularly grave. If evidence exists to support such allegations, they would require investigation by the relevant authorities rather than resolution through social media exchanges.
Likewise, accusations of fraud and misappropriation involving the estate and family companies require evidence and determination through the appropriate legal processes.
For now, the Garuga family remains divided. The first anniversary memorial that should have been an occasion to celebrate the life of a husband, father and businessman instead became another stage in a bitter dispute over family, money, business and legacy.
The central question is no longer simply who inherits Garuga’s wealth. It is whether a family that once shared a patriarch, a home and a business empire can find a way to preserve his legacy without allowing the battle over his estate to permanently define his memory.
Until the courts and, where necessary, competent investigative authorities establish the facts behind the competing claims, the unanswered questions surrounding Dr James Musinguzi Garuga’s final days and his estate will continue to cast a long shadow over the family he left behind.
Author Profile
- Mr. Jacko David Waluluka is another unique entertainment and general investigative news writer, a field he has diligently covered for over fifteen years. He’s also the Chief Administrator at The Investigator. He can easily be reached via [email protected]
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