Fight over Kategaya estate rages on
Former First deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs, the late Eriya Kategaya. PHOTO | FILE
The fight for the control of the estate of late First Deputy Prime Minister Eriya T Kategaya by his two widows has persisted, with one of them filing a fresh application in court.
On August 17, the Family Division of the High Court in Kampala dismissed an application in which one of the widows, Ms Diana Kirungi, had through her daughter, sued her co-widow, Ms Joan Betsimbire, seeking cancellation of the letters of administration given to her.
Justice David Matovu ruled that Ms Kirungi had not signed a written authority to enable her daughter (name withheld because she is minor) to sue her co-widow as next of friend.
Kategaya died on March 2, 2013. His first widow, Ms Betsimbire, filed for letters of administration of the estate of the deceased, which the court granted.
But this did not go down well with the other widow, Ms Kirungi, who petitioned the family court to cancel the said letters of administration. Ms Kirungi, among others, contends that her co-widow had obtained the said letters fraudulently.
She also wanted the court to compel her co-widow to give accountability and inventory of the assets and liabilities of Kategaya’s estate from the date of obtaining the letters of administration to the date of filing the application.
She sought court to declare that their husband died with a valid will and his estate should be distributed in accordance with it.
Despite court dismissing Ms Kirungi’s applications, she has petitioned court again, this time authorising her daughter to sue her co-widow.
“Take notice that I, Diana Kirungi, the biological mother of … (name withheld), have authorised Mr Bamulutira Edward of M/S & Co. Advocates to use my name as the next friend …(in minor’s names) in a suit to be filed against Joan Tukahirwa Kategaya in respect of the estate of the late Hon Eriya Tukahirwa Kategaya and other orders,” reads in part the letter of authority by Ms Kirungi to court.
Court is yet to fix this fresh application for hearing.
In the main lawsuit that is before the same family court, Ms Kirungi, among others, wants the court to issue a permanent injunction against her co-widow and her agents from further meddling in the affairs of the estate.
She claims her co-widow has gone ahead to use all the monies left behind by their late husband in several banks as well as his pension without regard to her and her daughter.
Ms Kirungi also states that her co-widow was not qualified to administer the estate of their late husband on grounds that she had separated from him more than 20 years before his demise.
