The High Court in Kampala has barred the administrators of the late Bank of Uganda governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile’s estate from selling, transferring or otherwise dealing with its property and funds as a dispute over the management and distribution of his wealth intensifies.
The interim orders, issued on October 27, 2026, by Deputy Registrar Suzanne Aisia Musooli of the Family Division, also restrict the administrators from operating or withdrawing money from a Bank of Baroda account held in the deceased’s name pending determination of an application challenging the administration of the estate.
The orders name Mutebile’s widow, Betty Tumusiime Mutebile, and David Kyomukama Mutebile as administrators. They and anyone acting on their behalf are prohibited from selling, transferring, leasing, mortgaging, charging or otherwise disposing of or encumbering property belonging to the estate.
The court also restrained the respondents from causing, authorising or facilitating the detention or confinement of Duncan Tumusiime Mutebile, 43, in a psychiatric or mental health institution pending determination of his application.
Duncan is seeking to revoke the letters of administration granted to Betty and David, accusing them of failing to disclose the full extent of the estate, transferring property without his consent and denying him his claimed inheritance. The application places the administration of Mutebile’s investments, properties and financial interests under judicial scrutiny more than four years after his death on January 23, 2022.
In his court filings, Duncan alleges that the estate inventory submitted by the administrators omitted several assets, including commercial premises in Kololo, shares in Garuga Properties Ltd and agricultural land in Lwengo and Nakaseke. He also claims that some properties were transferred into Betty’s personal name without his consent.
Other assets identified in the dispute include property in London, Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort, apartments in Kololo, land in Bulindo and Gomba, company shares, agricultural investments and bank accounts. The list reflects assets cited in the applicant’s case and is not a judicially verified inventory of the estate. The full value of the estate has not been established in the interim orders.
The administrators have contested Duncan’s claims and challenged his legal standing in the proceedings. They dispute that he is the biological son of the former governor, arguing that his biological father is a man identified as Disan Tumusiime.
They have also challenged the validity of the power of attorney through which Duncan instituted the proceedings, arguing that he lacked the mental capacity to execute it and that the relatives acting as his attorneys coerced him. Duncan’s legal representatives dispute those assertions and say they have documentation supporting his parentage and capacity.
The dispute also extends to allegations that Duncan was confined against his will at a rehabilitation facility in Mpigi to prevent him from challenging decisions concerning the estate. His legal representatives have pursued complaints with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Kira Road Police.
The administrators have disputed the allegations, while the competing claims concerning Duncan’s mental capacity and alleged confinement remain unresolved through the relevant legal processes.
The court’s orders preserve the estate while the underlying dispute is considered. The restrictions could affect property sales, leases, mortgages and other transactions, while the Bank of Baroda directive limits access to funds held in the deceased’s name.
Duncan wants the court to revoke the existing letters of administration and require a comprehensive account of the estate’s assets, income, proceeds and liabilities. He is also seeking scrutiny of the alleged asset omissions and transfers, as well as a determination of how the estate should be distributed among the lawful beneficiaries.
The administrators’ challenge to his parentage and the authority under which he brought the case could be central to determining his entitlement to participate in the administration and distribution of the estate.
Mutebile served as Bank of Uganda governor from 2001 until his death in January 2022, becoming a central figure in the country’s monetary policy and financial sector management during his two decades at the central bank.
The interim orders do not establish that the administrators concealed assets or unlawfully transferred property, nor do they determine Duncan’s disputed status as a beneficiary. Those questions remain subject to the court’s consideration.
The next stage of the proceedings will focus on the competing claims, the validity of the existing letters of administration and the evidence concerning the disputed assets and family relationships. Until the court makes further determinations, the administrators remain restricted from dealing with the estate’s property and the specified bank account under the interim orders.
