The Family Division of the High Court has ruled that lawyer Bob Kasango will be buried in Fort Portal in the next four days.
High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe Ssali made the ruling this afternoon, after Kasango’s widow Nice Bitarabeho filed the case seeking permission to bury the husband in Kabarole district, after contention with family members who wanted to bury him in Tororo.
Nice Bitarabeho Kasango, the widow of city lawyer Bob Kasango who died last month, sued her mother in law for interfering in the burial arrangement of her deceased husband.
Through her lawyers of Mujurizi, Arinaitwe and Byamukama Advocates, Bitarabeho pleaded before the Family Division of High Court to issue orders restraining her mother in law, Rosie Kabise from interfering with the burial of Kasango in Gweri village, Burahya County, Fort portal City in Kabarole District. Hearing has been set for March 23, 2021.
Bitarabeho contended that Uganda Prison Services released the deceased’s body to her as next of kin, a day after he died on February 27th 2021 due to heart-related complications.
She explained that she immediately started burial arrangements in Fort portal where they acquired land as husbands and wife and built a home.
Bitarabeho further argued that together with their three children Samora Kasango, Stephanie Kasango and Ivan Kasango, they all along knew that the deceased wanted to be buried in Fort portal.
Bitarabeho stated that they convened a meeting with all concerned relatives including Kasango’s mother, where they resolved to bury the deceased in Fort portal.
Following the decision, they took the deceased’s body to All Saints Cathedral Nakasero for a requiem service where it was grabbed Kasango’s mother and his relatives and tried to forcefully transport it to Tororo without their consent.
Bitarabeho told court that she then contacted the Uganda Police Force, which intercepted the body in Namugongo, a city suburb enroute to Tororo district.
According to court records, the body has spent the last 15 days at A plus funeral home under tight police guard. Bitarabeho says that it is only fair and equitable for the authorities to release the body to her for burial.
Sources intimated to ugandaupdatenews .com that the judiciary, the suit was initially allocated to Justice, David Matovu, the head of the Family Division who recused himself since is personally known to the widow. The case has since been reallocated to Justice Lydia Mugambe.
By the time of his death, Kasango was serving a 16-year jail term in Luzira prisons for the theft of more than Shillings 15 billion meant for more than 6,000 pensioners.
Kasango succumbed to heart-related complications while serving a 16-year jail term for theft of more than sh15 billion meant for pensioners.
The constitutional court recently also made a ruling on a case he had filed, questioning the legality of the DPP who was prosecuting his case. He argued it was unconstitutional for a serving judge to be DPP, and the court last week agreed with him.
