Information is Power

While pledging support for the completion of the Mothers’ Union house, Kamya expressed frustration about handling corruption complaints in her office, noting the lack of tangible evidence as they are often dealt with discreetly. “Corruption is killing this nation. In the office I sit in, I am the one who gets these corruption complaints, but the most disturbing thing is there is no evidence, it is always done under the table. I have the instruments of power to put these people down, but it’s done between two people, in closed doors in the dark. So, my instruments of power have become useless.” Kamya said. Rt. Rev. Canon Moses Banja, the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese with Mothers' Union members while the collected offertory. (Photo by Dallen Namugga) She made these remarks on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, during a St. Mary's Day celebrations service held at St. Stephen's Church of Uganda in Kabowa. Women belonging to the association, hailing from various parts of Kampala and Waki

  Nakalembe lost all trust in human beings when she lost her husband in an accident. Some of her in-laws showed up and carried everything off that was in the house. Luckily, some things were left in Kampala, and there was a lot of money in the bank.  Nakalembe has never remarried, and her four children are growing up well. All except Jembe, who joined the local gang which uses weighing stones to rob people. Jembe has even sold his mother's chairs to get money to bet. Nakalembe is worried that if one day she dies, Jembe will sell or take away all the property she has worked for and leave nothing for his sister and brothers. She wants to write a will because they told her it will protect her property. Her only issue is she does not trust anyone to see or touch her will. So, can she keep it secret and not let anyone write or sign on it? Must she have a witness sign, or can she announce in a family meeting that she has a will? WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? A witness is a person who knows abou

  Irene went to a camp in Mabira forest with some friends. It was going well until she got lost. She started panicking and thought she would end up being eaten by a wild animal. She also started thinking about her property. She decided to record her Will in the form of a voice note and share it with a family group. Of course, she made it out of the forest, but she wants to know if one can record a Will if they can’t write in such circumstances.   WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?   Unfortunately, Irene’s Will would not be valid. Recording a Will sounds easy, especially with the development of technology. However, our laws require us to write down our Wills. A will is an important document that shows your properties, the people you value (beneficiaries) and how this property should be shared. You really need time to sit down and accurately write this. In the event that you acquire new property, you can edit your Will or even create a new one.    However, just like they say, there is an exception t

When a parent chooses a guardian for their children in a will (known as a testamentary guardian) while the other parent is alive, the law states that the guardian and the parent will take care of the children together. Both the parent and the guardian will have the same rights to the child, such as living with the children or making decisions for the children. The surviving parent have full rights by fact of being a biological parent and the guardian as well because the deceased parent of the child will have passed on these rights. The guardian, upon being appointed, has full parental rights, which they can pass on by appointing another guardian to the children in their will as well.  The law does not limit it to one parent to choose a guardian for the children. Both parents can choose guardians for their children. When the parents have chosen separate guardians, they must care for the children together. The law does not dictate whom a parent chooses as a guardian if the person is abov

   Milka’s mother died two years ago and she left for Milka and her sisters all the property that she owned. There were houses, two cars and about three pieces of land. Milka and her sister now want to transfer the property that their mother left for them into their names. However, their uncle Mujjawa told them that they have taken too long to ‘legally’ inherit the property into their names meaning that they do not want it and he is now the one entitled to take it.  WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?   In Uganda, the law regarding the time limit for claiming inheritance may vary depending on several factors, including whether there was a Will or not. Although there is not a strict time when you are supposed to claim your inheritance, there are procedures and timeframes for executing the Will and transferring property to the beneficiaries.    If there was a Will, you will have to apply for probate. Probate is a legal process where the court verifies the will's legitimacy and oversees the asset

  Naka went to see the doctor and received the worst news. The doctor said that her condition is not getting worse and she needs to have a risky surgery done on her. Naka has been worried after her last doctors visit since she has young children and her husband left them 6 years ago. Naka has worked hard and has a number of businesses and rental that can help to take care of her children, but she is wondering if she can include in her will that her sister Kizza should be the one to take care of her children if anything happened to her.   WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? A guardian is a person who is not the biological parent of a child (person below the age of 18 years) but they are legally recognised to have parental responsibility over the child. Besides distributing property in a will, a parent can as well appoint a guardian for their children. This guardian is known as a testamentary guardian. When a parent is choosing a guardian for their child, they have to keep in mind that both parents h

Namutebi recently found out that her husband had another woman called Nancy. In fact, Nancy is in the university, and she is now pregnant. When Namutebi found out about Nancy she became very ill. She was stressed and her blood pressure rose so highly that she had to be admitted in the hospital. When she came out of hospital, she decided to write her Will where she wrote that her husband should not marry Nancy or any other person if she dies and if he goes ahead to marry, he should not inherit any of her property.  WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? In Uganda, the law states that any person who is 18 years of age and above, can write a Will stating how they would want their property to be distributed when they pass away. However, there are laws that govern writing Wills, and you should not use your Will to infringe or limit another person’s right. The Constitution in Uganda provides that every person has the right to marry and form a family if they are eighteen years of age and above.  This therefo