For the children of the late Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa, the 78-acre family estate in Namere Village, Mukono District, was supposed to be their inheritance and a lasting reminder of their father’s legacy. Instead, it has become the centre of a bitter land dispute involving allegations of forgery, abuse of trust, fraudulent transfers and the apparent frustration of efforts to secure justice.
At the centre of the controversy is Ms Naomi Ruth Nakatude Tasumba, a woman who initially presented herself as a helping hand to the family but whom the deceased’s children now accuse of turning their vulnerability into an opportunity to take control of their father’s estate.
The family alleges that Naomi exploited their limited understanding of land administration procedures and the trust they had placed in her to facilitate the recovery of their father’s land, only to subsequently initiate a process through which the entire property would allegedly be transferred into her name and those of her children.
What makes the dispute particularly troubling is that the family had already won a court battle to recover the property after discovering that its title had been transferred to another individual without their knowledge.
Yet, years after securing that legal victory, the administrators of the late Kyendira’s estate remain unable to take full control of the land.
Their complaint raises uncomfortable questions about the security of inheritance rights, the handling of land transactions and the effectiveness of institutions responsible for protecting property owners from fraudulent transfers.
A father’s legacy disappears
The disputed property, measuring approximately 78 acres, is situated in Namere Village, Mukono District. It originally belonged to Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa, who inherited it from his father and maintained it as part of the family’s ancestral estate.
For years, the land remained an important part of his family’s heritage. Kyendira reportedly cherished the property and hoped to leave it to his children. However, following his death, the children did not immediately occupy or develop the land. James Kagenda and Eric Serunjoji, alongside the other family members, went about their respective lives, apparently unaware that the ownership status of their father’s property had changed.
Their attention eventually returned to the estate when they decided to establish its status and secure their inheritance. What they discovered at the Ministry of Lands was shocking.
The land title that should have remained associated with their late father’s estate had reportedly been transferred to a man identified as Robert Mayanja.
The family could not understand how such a substantial piece of property had changed ownership without their knowledge or consent.
They subsequently visited Namere to establish what had happened and found that Mayanja had taken possession of the property. There was, however, another complication: Mayanja had also died.
The children approached his family in an attempt to resolve the matter amicably and recover what they considered their rightful inheritance. Those efforts reportedly failed, leaving them with little option but to seek legal intervention.
Court restores the family estate
The dispute eventually found its way to the courts in Mukono, where the administrators challenged the ownership of the property and sought its restoration to the late Kyendira’s estate.
Following the proceedings, the court ruled in favour of the deceased’s heirs, recognising the late Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa as the rightful owner of the disputed property.
The decision directed that the title be restored to his name before being transferred to the administrators of his estate: James Kagenda, Margaret Mayiga Nabatanzi, Yusuf Mukasa and Eric Serunjoji.
For the family, this was a significant breakthrough after discovering that their father’s inheritance had ended up in the hands of another individual. But winning a court case and successfully administering an estate are two different challenges.
The family lacked the financial resources and technical understanding required to navigate the complicated procedures involved in implementing the decision and securing the title. It was at this vulnerable point that Naomi entered the picture.
The woman who came as a saviour
At the time, Naomi who currently works as an aide of President Museveni at State House was then reportedly working as an administrator in the office of the Kalangala Action Plan associated with Maj Roland Kakooza Mutale. She approached the family and offered to help them recover their father’s property.
To the administrators, she appeared knowledgeable, confident and capable of handling the complicated land documentation and administrative processes that had frustrated their efforts.
The family agreed to work with her. Before granting her powers of attorney, the four administrators and Naomi reportedly entered into a written agreement setting out the terms of their arrangement.
Under the agreement, Naomi would facilitate the recovery of the property and, upon successfully securing it, receive 10 acres out of the approximately 78-acre estate as payment for her services. The agreement was reportedly signed by the parties and witnessed by local leaders.
The family subsequently executed powers of attorney authorising Naomi to undertake specified legal and administrative actions on their behalf in relation to the land.
A power of attorney, however, is not a transfer of ownership. Neither does it automatically make its holder an administrator or beneficiary of the deceased’s estate.
As legal expert Gideon Tugume explains, having powers of attorney does not make someone an administrator of an estate. Naomi reportedly used the authority granted to her to facilitate the recovery of the land from the late Mayanja’s family.
The title was first restored to the name of Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa before the property was subsequently processed in the names of the four administrators.
At this stage, the arrangement appeared to have achieved its intended purpose. But according to the family, the successful recovery of the land marked the beginning of a second and more complicated battle.
From 10 acres to the entire estate
The administrators allege that Naomi subsequently departed from the terms of their original agreement and began pursuing ownership of the entire property rather than the 10 acres she had negotiated as payment.
According to the family’s complaint, documents were allegedly prepared purporting to show that all four administrators had agreed to sell the entire estate to Naomi. The family disputes having entered into such a transaction.
They allege that their signatures were forged and that transfer documents were processed without their knowledge or consent.
Police sources familiar with the complaint told The Investigator that the administrators had reported Naomi over allegations of forgery and theft.
“She allegedly forged the transfer forms and also attached signatures of the four indicating they had agreed to sell the land to her,” a police officer said.
The allegations, if established, would raise serious questions about the authenticity of the documents used to facilitate the disputed transfers and whether the relevant land registration procedures were properly followed.
The family maintains that its original agreement with Naomi was limited to 10 acres as compensation for her services. It denies authorising the transfer of the entire estate.
The disputed transactions reportedly extended to attempts to register the property in the names of Naomi’s children, a development that further alarmed the administrators.
For the children of the late Kyendira, the woman who had been entrusted with helping them recover their inheritance had allegedly become the person they were now fighting to stop from taking it away.
Threats and growing hostility
The relationship between Naomi and the family reportedly deteriorated as the administrators began questioning the developments surrounding the land.
According to the family, Naomi became increasingly hostile whenever they sought clarification about the ownership and documentation of the property.
The administrators further allege that she attempted to use security personnel to have Eric Serunjoji arrested, an incident they interpreted as an effort to intimidate them into abandoning their claims.
The family says the developments left them fearful and increasingly convinced that they were dealing with a much bigger problem than an ordinary disagreement over professional fees.
Their concern was that the original agreement, which was supposed to compensate Naomi with 10 acres, was allegedly being used as a foundation for a transaction that would extinguish their rights over the entire estate.
They consequently sought legal assistance and escalated the matter to the Ministry of Lands.
Minister’s intervention and the four-year wait
The family eventually lodged a complaint with the Minister of Lands, who reportedly summoned the parties to present their respective positions.
Following the meeting and consideration of the competing claims, the Minister ruled that the transfers associated with Naomi were erroneous and that the land should be returned to the administrators of the late Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa.
The intervention offered the family another opportunity to recover its inheritance.
However, the decision was made in 2021, and the administrators say that four years later, the necessary changes to the land register had still not been completed.
They remain frustrated by what they describe as an inexplicable delay in implementing a decision that should have brought the dispute to an end.
The family subsequently opened a case with the Police Land Protection Unit in Makindye a Kampala upscale suburb, reporting the alleged forgery and theft.
However, the administrators claim that the investigation has made little visible progress and that they have not received satisfactory answers about the status of their complaint.
For them, the greatest frustration is that they have gone through the courts, approached the Ministry of Lands and reported the alleged criminal conduct to the police, yet remain unable to enjoy the property their father left behind.
Questions over influential connections
As the dispute drags on, the family has also raised questions about Naomi’s alleged connections within the land administration system.
They claim she enjoys a close relationship with top officials at Lands Ministry and suspect that such connections could explain why the Minister’s decision has not been implemented.
However, these claims remain allegations by the family and have not independently been established.
The administrators want the relevant authorities to explain why the disputed transfers have not been reversed and whether any official has interfered with the process. The allegations also raise broader concerns about the vulnerability of families who lack the financial means and legal knowledge to protect inherited property.
In many land disputes, beneficiaries can spend years pursuing court orders, only to encounter fresh administrative and procedural obstacles when attempting to implement them.
The Kyendira family says its experience demonstrates how powers of attorney, intended to facilitate legitimate representation, can become a source of conflict when the relationship between the principal and the appointed representative breaks down.
A family still fighting for its inheritance
Today, the administrators of the late Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa’s estate remain determined to reclaim the property.
Their demand is straightforward: the original agreement should be respected, the disputed transfers investigated and the land restored to the lawful administrators in accordance with the relevant decisions.
They want the Police Land Protection Unit to establish whether the alleged signatures and transfer documents were authentic, identify those responsible for any wrongdoing and ensure that the complaint is handled without interference.
They are also calling on the Ministry of Lands to explain the delay in implementing its 2021 decision and take the necessary administrative steps to clarify the property’s ownership.
For James Kagenda, Eric Serunjoji and the other administrators, this is no longer simply a dispute over acres and titles.
It is about protecting a family inheritance that their father worked to preserve and ensuring that his children are not permanently dispossessed through transactions they say they never authorised.
The 78-acre Namere estate has already passed through two ownership controversies, a court battle and a ministerial intervention.
Yet the family remains locked out of the certainty it expected when it first approached the authorities.
The central questions remain unanswered: Who authorised the disputed transfers? Were the signatures on the sale documents genuine? Why has the Minister’s decision not been fully implemented? And what has happened to the police investigation? Until those questions are answered, the children of the late Kyendira Yusuf Mukasa will continue fighting to protect what they believe is rightfully theirs.
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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