A family in Nakuwadde–Bbira–Lubanyi, Wakiso District, Uganda, is currently stranded with the body of their 95-year-old matriarch, Maria Thereza Nakibuuka, due to a protracted land dispute with the Kampala Catholic Archdiocese. The contested land, measuring approximately 0.575 hectares (1.4 acres), is located on Block 306, Plot 2430 in Busiro County and has been traditionally owned by the Nyonyi-Namungoona clan since the 1920s.
The conflict centers on the ownership and control of this ancestral land. According to clan leaders, the land belongs to the Nyonyi-Namungoona clan and is their ancestral home. However, Nakibuuka, who held the title deed, allegedly handed it over to the then Nakulabye Catholic Parish priest about a decade ago for safekeeping, fearing the title could be stolen from her home. The Church now claims that this transfer was a donation to the Legion of Mary, a Catholic lay organization, and the title was subsequently registered under the Archdiocese trustees without the family’s consent.
Tensions escalated when Nakibuuka began demanding the return of the title after learning of plans by the Legion of Mary to develop the land. The Church reportedly asked her to exhume bodies from the family graveyard on the land, relocate them, and identify a new plot where they would build her a house. The family strongly opposes this, highlighting that about 50 family members are buried there, and questioning where they would relocate their ancestors’ remains. The family insists that such significant transactions should involve the entire family, especially given the presence of a graveyard.
The dispute has caused deep distress to the family. Nakibuuka passed away on June 9, 2025, and the family has refused to bury her until the land title is returned to them. They were supposed to bury her on June 11 but postponed the burial, vowing to wait even if it takes a month or longer. The family held a meeting with Church leaders at Rubaga Cathedral on June 11, but no resolution was reached, as the Church said it needed to consult members of the Legion of Mary before responding.
The family accuses the Church of acting without consultation and of engaging in unscrupulous activities. They question how an elderly, illiterate woman could have legally signed over the land title without family consent. They also express fear of being left homeless if the Church retains control of the land. Mourners who traveled from distant places to attend the burial are frustrated by the delay, with some pleading for transparency and justice from the Church.
Church representatives, including Reverend Father Richard Ssajjabi, CEO of the Kampala Archdiocese Land Board, deny claims of fraudulent transfer, maintaining that the land was indeed donated by Nakibuuka. He noted that disputes often arise after a donor’s death, especially given rising land values in urban Kampala.
The situation has attracted public attention and debate, with some questioning the legality of the transaction given Nakibuuka’s age and capacity at the time of the alleged donation. Others have called for the Church to be transparent and for the family’s rights to be respected.
The Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development has previously urged the Church to register and properly manage its lands to prevent such conflicts. A committee of land experts was formed to work with Church-appointed committees to update Church land records, aiming to reduce disputes over Church land.
Currently, the Nyonyi-Namungoona clan remains firm in its demands and is preparing to pursue legal action to reclaim the land title. The family’s plight highlights the complexities and sensitivities surrounding land ownership, ancestral rights, and institutional claims in Uganda, especially when intertwined with cultural and religious considerations. The unresolved dispute has left a grieving family caught between honoring their deceased and fighting for their ancestral land rights.