A dispute over the estate of former Bank of Uganda governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile has intensified after his son, Duncan Tumusiime Mutebile, asked the High Court in Kampala to remove the current administrators, accusing them of concealing assets and making disputed property transfers.
In a case before the Family Division of the High Court, Duncan challenges the administration of the estate by his stepmother, Betty Tumusiime Mutebile, and David Kyomukama Mutebile. He argues that the inventories submitted to the court were incomplete or misleading and wants the letters of administration granted to the two revoked.
The claims are contained in Civil Suit No. 342 of 2026, filed through his paternal uncle, Joseph Ntegyereize Mutebile, and maternal uncle, Caleb Karyaho Tukaikiriza, who are acting under a power of attorney.
Among the properties Duncan says were left out of the estate records are commercial premises on Mabua Road in Kololo, shares in Garuga Properties Ltd, a matooke plantation in Lwengo District, forestry land in Nakaseke District and several bank accounts.
He also alleges that some estate property, including the Kololo commercial premises, was transferred into Betty’s personal name without his consent. These allegations have not been established by a court.
The case has also raised questions about Duncan’s parentage and his capacity to authorise the legal action.
In their defence filed on October 14, 2026, Betty and David reportedly disputed that Duncan was the biological son of the former governor, claiming that his biological father was a man identified as Disan Tumusiime.
They also challenged a power of attorney Duncan signed on September 9, arguing that it was invalid because he allegedly has bipolar affective disorder and was coerced by the relatives acting on his behalf.
Duncan’s representatives reject those claims. They rely on a birth certificate they say supports his parentage and a psychiatric assessment conducted at Kira Health Centre IV on September 24.
According to his legal team, the assessment by Senior Psychiatric Clinical Officer Charles Mupere found Duncan cognitively intact and fully oriented, with no established psychopathology. The representatives cite the report to contest the argument that he lacked the mental capacity to execute the power of attorney.
The competing accounts concerning parentage and mental capacity remain disputed and require determination through the appropriate legal process.
The dispute has also spilled into a separate complaint over Duncan’s alleged confinement at psychiatric facilities.
His representatives accuse the estate administrators of arranging his involuntary confinement, including at Hope and Beyond Rehabilitation Centre in Mpigi, allegedly to frustrate his efforts to challenge decisions concerning the inheritance.
On September 28, his legal team lodged a complaint with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and Kira Road Police Station, registered as CRB 1197/2026. The complaint reportedly sought investigations into allegations of kidnapping and unlawful confinement.
On October 22, state prosecutor Hanifa Kasana directed the Divisional Criminal Investigations Officer at Kira Road Police Station to submit the police file for consideration.
The following day, Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Police Flavia Natabirwa Namutebi wrote to Hope and Beyond Rehabilitation Centre requesting Duncan’s medical history and directing that he be transferred to a government facility for assessment by a state psychiatrist, according to the documents cited in the report.
The police and prosecutorial steps do not, by themselves, establish that unlawful confinement occurred or that any individual is criminally liable.
The estate dispute places several issues before the relevant authorities, including whether the estate inventory accurately reflects the deceased’s assets, whether the disputed transfers were lawful, and whether Duncan’s legal representatives are properly authorised to act on his behalf.
The High Court will have to consider the evidence and applicable law before making findings on the estate-related claims. Meanwhile, the complaint concerning alleged confinement is being handled through separate investigative and prosecutorial channels.
Neither the allegations of concealed assets nor the competing claims over parentage and mental capacity should be treated as established findings unless confirmed by the relevant court or authority.
The proceedings come amid a family dispute over the administration of the estate of Mutebile, who served for many years as governor of the Bank of Uganda.