The family of a 95-year-old woman in Nakuwadde-Bbira Lubanyi, Wakiso District, has refused to bury her body, citing a land dispute with the Catholic Church that has left them stranded and grieving with no clear resolution in sight.
Maria Thereza Nakibuuka, a respected elder and the registered titleholder of a 0.575-hectare piece of land, equivalent to approximately 1.4 acres, passed away on June 9.
Nearly a week later, her body remains unburied as tensions continue to escalate between her clan and the Kampala Archdiocese over the rightful ownership of the land.
The disputed land, located on Block 306 Plot 2430 in Busiro County, has been in the hands of the Nyonyi-Namungoona clan since the 1920s, according to the family.
They allege that it was taken over by the Catholic Church without the knowledge or consent of Nakibuuka or her relatives.
Richard Luswata Musajjakaawa, the Kattikiro or Prime Minister of the clan, explained that Nakibuuka had entrusted the land title to the parish priest at Nankulabye Parish many years ago for safekeeping, fearing it could be stolen if kept at home.
The title was later moved to the headquarters of the Kampala Archdiocese in Rubaga.
Musajjakaawa said the Church now claims the land was donated, a position the family strongly rejects. He questioned how Nakibuuka, who was illiterate, could have legally transferred ownership.
“She could not read or write. The photo used in the land transfer shows her in her eighties, and it is likely she was unaware of what she was agreeing to,” Musajjakaawa said.
The family asserts that Nakibuuka repeatedly requested the return of the land title before her death.
According to them, she wanted to officially hand the property back to the clan and also made these wishes clear in her will.
“We were supposed to bury her on June 11, but we cannot proceed without the return of the title,” said Patrick Bisere, the family head. “We are prepared to wait even a month if that is what it takes. Justice comes first.”
He added that the family had been engaging the Kampala Archdiocesan land offices about the matter long before Nakibuuka’s death.
They had also written to church officials, raising concern over attempts to reclaim the land for development.
A five-hour meeting on June 11 between the family and Church representatives, including Fr. Richard Ssajjabi, CEO of the Kampala Archdiocese Land Board, ended without an agreement.
Church officials reportedly requested more time to consult with trustees and representatives of the Legion of Mary, the Catholic lay organization which they claim received the land.
“They promised to get back to us that same day, but we are still waiting,” Bisere said.
The delay has stranded dozens of mourners, many of whom traveled from distant parts of the country expecting a timely burial.
“I came from Kiboga and expected to be back home by June 12,” said Zipora Naluggwa. “I did not carry enough money for an extended stay. The Church needs to be transparent.”
Another family member, Christine Nakyajja, expressed deep disappointment in how the Church has handled the matter.
“We thought the Church was a place of refuge and trust. This situation has broken that belief for us,” she said.
Local leaders are urging caution. Solome Kaliika, the Chairperson of Lubanyi Village, advised the family to consider taking the body to a funeral home to prevent tensions from rising further.
However, the family remains firm in their decision not to proceed with burial until their land claim is recognized.
“This is not just land. This is the final resting place of our ancestors and the place Nakibuuka called home all her life,” said Musajjakaawa.
The family also claims the Church previously proposed exhuming graves and demolishing structures on the land to allow for new developments.
They say such proposals deeply distressed Nakibuuka in her final years.
Letters reviewed by this reporter confirm that these concerns were raised as early as February 2024 with Fr. Paulo Ssemboga, the parish priest at Buloba, and again in June with the Archdiocese Land Board.
One letter described how Church representatives, including Susan Nsubuga and Aloysius Kakooza, suggested relocating the graveyard and Nakibuuka’s home, an idea she firmly rejected.
In a separate letter dated June 2, 2025, Fr. Ssajjabi stated that the land was donated to the Legion of Mary and formally registered under the trusteeship of the Kampala Archdiocese.
He added that consultations with both trustees and Legion of Mary officials would be required before any reversal of the land transfer could be considered.
Despite the Church’s assertion that the family is allowed to conduct the burial, the clan insists on a formal return of the title or legal resolution before laying Nakibuuka to rest.
The family is now preparing to take the matter to court, saying they have no other option.
“Her will clearly states that she wanted to be buried on her land. This was her last wish, and we intend to honor it,” Bisere said.
This dispute reflects a wider trend in Uganda, where historical land donations to religious institutions are becoming points of conflict.
In many cases, families and clans find themselves in legal and emotional battles to reclaim property they say was taken under unclear or coercive circumstances.
While the Church maintains its right to hold such land through formal legal means, critics argue that complex institutional structures often leave original donors or their descendants at a disadvantage.
For the family of Maria Thereza Nakibuuka, the question is not just about ownership.
It is about dignity, heritage, and fulfilling the final wishes of a matriarch who, even in death, remains at the heart of a growing national conversation about land, faith, and justice.
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