news 24 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Court Grants Entebbe Murdered Couple's Children Control Over Burial Rights
Uganda's High Court has ruled in favor of the biological children of slain Entebbe couple David and Deborah Mutaaga, allowing them to decide on cremation and burial in Switzerland despite cultural objections from extended family. The decision ends a nine-month dispute delaying the burial of the Swiss-Ugandan retirees stabbed to death last year. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/murdered-entebbe-couple-s-children-given-burial-rights-5434682
The Family Division of the High Court in Uganda has awarded burial rights to the biological children of David Mutaaga, 69, and Deborah Florence Mutaaga, 62, who were brutally stabbed to death in their Nakiwogo, Entebbe home last year.
Justice Celia Nagawa, in a ruling dated April 20, affirmed that Mark Kabenge Mutaaga and Isabella Najjita Mutaaga hold the primary authority over their parents’ remains due to their status as closest relatives.
The children sought to cremate the bodies and bury them in Switzerland, clashing with extended family members who demanded a traditional burial at the ancestral home in Naggalabi, Buddo, per Buganda customs. Clan leader Steven Sendagire Seruwagi Ssengaluma led the opposition, emphasizing cultural duties for the Nvuma clan.
The court prioritized the immediate family’s rights, noting their demonstrated close ties, over cultural traditions.
The couple, Swiss citizens who retired to Uganda after decades abroad, had lived in Entebbe for four to five years. A family meeting in July 2025 delayed burial pending police probe (Entebbe CRB No. 747/2025), but disagreements escalated when children requested CID clearance for repatriation in December 2025.
Police investigations into the murders continue without identified suspects.
Source: Daily Monitor