news 23 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Court Awards Entebbe Couple's Children Control Over Parents' Burial After 9-Month Delay
The High Court's Family Division has ruled in favor of the biological children of a murdered Entebbe couple, granting them authority to cremate and bury their parents' remains in Switzerland despite opposition from extended family favoring Buganda customs. The decision ends a dispute that kept the bodies in a mortuary for over nine months since the July 2025 killings. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-grants-entebbe-couple-s-children-authority-over-burial-nine-months-after-their-murder-5433348
The Family Division of the High Court has granted the biological children of David and Deborah Mutaaga, a Swiss-Ugandan couple murdered in Entebbe last year, the right to decide on their parents’ burial.
Justice Celia Nagawa ruled on April 20 that Mark Mutaaga Kabenge and Isabella Najjita Mutaaga, as the closest relatives, hold paramount authority over the mode and location of disposal. The children plan to cremate the remains and repatriate them to Switzerland.
This decision resolves a heated family conflict. Extended relatives, led by clan head Sendagire Seruwagi Ssengaluma Steven of the Nvuma clan, pushed for a traditional burial in Naggalabi, Buddo, following Buganda cultural practices. The court acknowledged cultural importance but prioritized the immediate family’s rights.
The couple’s bodies have languished in A-Plus Funeral Home in Mengo since their July 6, 2025, killing at their Nakiwogo home. Initially at KCCA Mortuary, they were moved at family request, with storage costs covered by extended relatives.
David and Deborah, married in Uganda in 1988, lived decades in Switzerland before retiring to Entebbe. Their Europe-based children sought clearance in December 2025 to proceed with cremation amid ongoing police probe (Entebbe CRB No. 747/2025), but clan opposition led to court.
With the ruling, burial arrangements can now advance, though the murder investigation continues without public suspects.
Source: Daily Monitor