Kanungu land dispute involves estate of late Dr. James Garuga

A legal and familial dispute has emerged in the Kanungu district of Uganda regarding the estate of the late businessman Dr. James Musinguzi Garuga. Canon Violet Garuga, the mother of the deceased, alleges that Peace Kesiime Bagorogoza has evicted her from ancestral lands in Rugyeyo.

Violet Garuga claims that she was forcibly removed from lands where she previously grazed animals and cultivated tea, which she asserts she planted herself. She further alleges that her house was demolished and that she has been deprived of the income from her tea estates since her son's death.

Family members and supporters argue that under Uganda's succession laws, specifically the Succession Act Cap 268, a dependent relative such as a mother is entitled to 4% of the estate in cases of intestacy. There are conflicting narratives regarding the land management; while some family members suggest the late Dr. Garuga had arranged for different management structures before his passing, Violet Garuga maintains that the current actions are a fraudulent dispossession of her livelihood.