By Okem J Sas RichBoi
(Campus Media House)
A bitter family dispute has overshadowed the tragic death of Namirembe Angel, a third-year law student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), who lost her life in a boda boda accident on Tuesday. What was initially a period of mourning quickly turned into a heated controversy over her paternity and burial arrangements.
The tension began at Mulago Hospital Mortuary when Robert Mutebi, the man who raised Namirembe since childhood, arrived to collect her body. However, his plans were thwarted by Hon. Betty Nambooze, who appeared with a funeral home vehicle, claiming she was acting on instructions from Namirembe’s alleged biological father, identified as Kiwanuka, a diaspora-based individual.
Mutebi, visibly distraught, expressed shock and hurt over the claims that he was not Namirembe’s biological father, despite having cared for her since childhood and paying her tuition fees up to university. “I have nurtured and struggled with this girl, and paid her fees up to university,” Mutebi said. “Why am I now being informed, after her passing, that I am not the biological father?”
The argument escalated into a tense standoff between Mutebi’s relatives and those of Agnes Nakandi, Namirembe’s mother, who has been married to Mutebi for nearly 30 years. Nakandi reportedly sided with the group claiming Kiwanuka wanted the body buried at his ancestral home. After hours of disagreement, Nambooze’s team took the body from Mulago and transported it away, despite Mutebi’s protests.
“I have accepted that they take away the body and bury it wherever they say the real biological father comes from,” Mutebi said quietly. “I have now officially separated from the mother of my children.” The sudden revelation and paternity claims have sparked an outpouring of sympathy for Mutebi on social media, with many questioning why such claims only surfaced after the young woman’s death.
Namirembe, affectionately known to her friends as Angel, was described by classmates as a bright, ambitious, and friendly student. “She was a leader beaming with ideas and energy,” one of her colleagues posted on X. The UCU community has been holding prayer vigils in her memory and has called for calm as the family continues to grapple with the painful dispute.
As burial preparations continue in Mawokota, questions linger about the truth behind the paternity claims. What was meant to be a quiet and respectful farewell has turned into a public and emotional confrontation. For now, Robert Mutebi, the man who raised and educated Angel, says he will let the other side proceed with the burial but admits that his family has been torn apart forever.