By Our Reporter
A bitter inheritance dispute has engulfed the family of the late Kawempe North Member of Parliament, Muhammad Ssegirinya, as controversy swirls around DNA test results and the management of his multi-million-shilling estate.
At the heart of the conflict is one of Ssegirinya’s widows, Twahirah Akandinda, who has refused to vacate the home she shared with the deceased MP—even after DNA tests reportedly confirmed that none of her children were biologically his. Family members argue that the property should go to the children who were confirmed as his rightful heirs.
But Twahirah is standing her ground. “This was our home. I lived here with my husband until his death,” she said defiantly. She insists the DNA results are falsified and claims they were orchestrated by individuals scheming to take over Ssegirinya’s property. “They want me out so they can sell off everything,” she said.
Tensions further escalated after revelations that a Toyota Prado (registration UAU 068T), one of Ssegirinya’s vehicles, was sold for just Shs11 million merely two weeks after his death. The car was reportedly sold by Twahirah’s mother in collaboration with another widow, Nalongo Joyce Nalule. The transaction has left many family members outraged, questioning the transparency of how the MP’s assets are being managed.
Adding fuel to the fire, a former personal assistant to the late legislator, Alex Lusswa Luwemba, announced that only four out of nine children claimed to be Ssegirinya’s were confirmed as biological heirs following DNA testing. He said the tests were commissioned to resolve growing tension among the widows and their children. “Only four were found to be his. That will be the basis for estate distribution,” Luwemba stated.
However, the remaining three widows are not accepting the findings. They have demanded that new DNA tests be conducted outside Uganda, arguing that the current results are untrustworthy and could have been manipulated. “We were not consulted. The process was hidden from us. We will not accept it,” one widow said during a press briefing.
They are also protesting a directive—allegedly from Luwemba—that women whose children were not biologically linked to Ssegirinya must vacate his properties within three months, including houses in Kiteezi and other parts of Kampala.
This legal and emotional showdown comes just months after Ssegirinya died on January 9, 2025, at Lubaga Hospital, following a prolonged battle with skin cancer, hypertension, and lung disease. He was only 36. Despite treatment in Uganda, Kenya, and the Netherlands, his health deteriorated in late 2024, leading to his untimely death.
Ssegirinya was no stranger to controversy. In 2021, he and fellow MP Allan Ssewanyana were dramatically arrested and charged with terrorism and multiple murders linked to the Masaka killings. The duo spent over 500 days in prison before being granted bail in February 2023.
Following his death, a by-election in Kawempe North was held but also ended in turmoil, with the victory of Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola being nullified by court, leaving the parliamentary seat vacant.
Now, the chaos continues—this time in the private domain of family, inheritance, and bitter accusations. As the battle over property intensifies, legal experts warn that unless a formal estate administration process is initiated through court, the wrangles could escalate into protracted legal wars.
Ssegirinya’s legacy, once defined by activism and political firestorms, now hangs in limbo—overshadowed by DNA tests, divided widows, and contested property.