High Court Rules in Entebbe Mutaaga Burial Dispute

The Family Division of the High Court has brought a definitive end to a bitter nine-month dispute regarding the remains of a murdered Entebbe couple, ruling that their biological children hold the paramount right to decide their final resting place over the wishes of the extended clan.

In a landmark decision delivered on April 20, 2026, Justice Celia Nagawa ruled in favor of Mark Mutaaga Kabenge and Isabella Najjita Mutaaga, clearing the way for their parents—David and Deborah Mutaaga—to be cremated and interred in Switzerland.

The ruling settles a protracted legal battle that pitted modern family wishes against deeply rooted cultural norms. While the couple’s children sought to honor their parents’ 30-year history as Swiss citizens through cremation, the extended family and the Nvuma clan leadership insisted on a traditional burial in Naggalabi, Buddo, in accordance with Buganda customs.

Justice Nagawa held that the applicant has the paramount right to determine the mode and place of disposal of the remains by virtue of their position as the biological children of the deceased. The judge noted that while cultural considerations hold weight, they cannot override the rights of the immediate family, especially when the children demonstrated the closest personal relationship with the deceased during their lifetime.

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The remains of the Mutaagas have been preserved at A-Plus Funeral Home in Mengo since their brutal murder on July 6, 2025. The delay has not only caused “undeniable anguish” for the family but has also accumulated significant storage costs, which have been met through contributions from the extended family.

The couple, who had retired to Nakiwogo, Entebbe, after three decades of working in Europe, were killed in their home under circumstances that remain a mystery. The initial decision to delay the burial in July 2025 was intended to allow police investigations to progress, but the stalemate over the burial method turned a temporary pause into a nearly year-long legal impasse.

Despite the resolution of the burial row, the shadow of the crime itself still looms large. The murder, registered under Entebbe CRB No. 747/2025, remains an active investigation. To date, police have not publicly identified or apprehended any suspects in the killing of the Swiss-Ugandan retirees.

With the High Court’s clearance, the children are expected to proceed with the cremation and repatriation of the remains to Switzerland immediately. For the community in Nakiwogo and the Nvuma clan, the ruling serves as a stark reminder of the shifting legal landscape regarding burial rights and the priority of immediate family over ancestral tradition.