A 73-year-old man, James Wakabenga Wanyera, says he is living in fear and pain after his own children, led by Col Betty Musuya, former Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Director for Women Affairs, allegedly forcefully removed him from his home.
Relatives claim that armed soldiers were deployed to prevent Wanyera from accessing his property, turning the once prominent landlord into a virtual squatter.
The family home, located in Bumasikye village, Sironko parish, Bukhulo sub-county, Sironko District, now hosts the soldiers and a security guard, while Wanyera is forced to stay in a makeshift structure that he and his late wife had previously used as a grocery shop. Wanyera, a former driver, claims that Col Musuya is leveraging her military position to frustrate his land rights.
“I can’t access my home. My daughter has deployed UPDF personnel at the doorway, and they instead forced me to stay in a makeshift structure. The guard lives in the house I built even before she was born,” Wanyera told The New Vision.
A Family Tragedy Sparks the Dispute
The conflict began following the death of Wanyera’s wife, Mary Kakai, on January 30, 2022. Wanyera says his wife had been staying with Col Musuya in Namugongo, where she developed complications. Despite repeated pleas to care for his wife at home, Wanyera claims his daughter refused. He recounts that he was blocked from viewing her body at Bombo Military Hospital and that during her burial on February 1, 2022, Col Musuya read the post-mortem report herself, leaving him sidelined.
Wanyera initially moved to a nearby grocery shop to allow visiting relatives to stay in the main house. But just two days later, when he attempted to return home, he was blocked by two UPDF personnel allegedly deployed by his daughter. His belongings, including bedding and clothes, were reportedly confiscated without explanation.
Land Rights Ignored
Wanyera had legally divided his land equally among all his children in October 2012, according to a document from the chairperson of Bustongola clan, Bukhulo sub-county. Despite this, he claims his children destroyed his crops and blocked him from entering his home. Local authorities, including LC1 Chairperson Alice Wabaya, confirm that armed men have been deployed in the village and that police were allegedly instructed to arrest Wanyera without cause.
Wanyera has appealed to the highest levels of the military, including President Yoweri Museveni, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and Maj. Gen. Richard Otto, Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS). On September 22, 2025, human rights activists in the Elgon sub-region, led by Yusuf Makweta, petitioned the UPDF to intervene.
A letter dated October 10, 2025, warned that failure to act could tarnish the UPDF’s image. On October 14, DIS officers visited the family and recorded statements, but Wanyera says they did not remove the armed personnel or restore access to his home. A senior DIS officer confirmed that the matter is under investigation, noting the department’s heavy workload.
Wanyera lamented, “These are my children, and despite the fact that I sacrificed and took each of them to school, none of them has thought of supporting me. Besides kicking me out of my home and denying me access to my gardens, they have chosen to make my life very hard. I have no one else to run to.”
This unfolding case raises questions about the misuse of military power in private family disputes and the protections afforded to elderly citizens in Uganda, highlighting a crisis where authority, family, and law intersect with tragic consequences.
When contacted Col Musuya told New Vision that the matter was being handled by her bosses.
This story has partly been reported by New Vision.
