A family conflict has overshadowed the death of Namirembe Angel, a third-year Law student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), who died in a boda boda accident on Tuesday. What began as a time of mourning quickly turned into a heated disagreement over her paternity and burial arrangements.
Relatives say the tension started at Mulago Hospital Mortuary when Robert Mutebi, the man who raised Namirembe, arrived to pick up her body. He was stopped by Hon. Betty Nambooze, who came with a funeral home vehicle, claiming she was acting on instructions from Namirembe’s “real father,” a man identified as Kiwanuka, said to be working abroad.
Mutebi, visibly heartbroken, said he had cared for Namirembe since childhood and was shocked to hear claims that he was not her biological father.
“I have raised and struggled with this girl and paid her fees up to university,” Mutebi said. “Why am I now being told, after her passing, that I am not the biological father?”
Witnesses said the argument grew tense between Mutebi’s relatives and those of Agnes Nakandi, Namirembe’s mother, who has been married to Mutebi for nearly 30 years. Nakandi reportedly sided with the group claiming that Kiwanuka wanted the body buried at his ancestral home.
After hours of disagreement, Nambooze’s team took the body from Mulago and transported it away, despite Mutebi’s protests.
“I have accepted them to take away the body and bury wherever they say the real biological father comes from,” Mutebi said quietly. “I have now officially separated from the mother of my children.”
The family had earlier planned to bury Namirembe in Lwamata along Hoima Road, but the location was later changed to Mawokota, said to be her biological father’s ancestral home. This decision came after old video clips surfaced showing Namirembe saying she hailed from Mawokota, which appeared to support her maternal family’s position.
The sudden change and the paternity claims have sparked emotional reactions on social media. Many Ugandans have expressed sympathy for Mutebi, questioning why such revelations only came after the young woman’s death.
Namirembe, who was known to her friends as Angel, was described by classmates as a bright, ambitious, and friendly student. “She was a leader beaming with ideas and energy,” one of her colleagues posted on X.
The UCU community has been holding prayer vigils in her memory and has called for calm as the family continues to deal with the painful dispute.
As burial preparations continue in Mawokota, questions remain about the truth behind the paternity claims. What was meant to be a quiet and respectful farewell has turned into a public and emotional confrontation.
For now, Robert Mutebi, the man who raised and educated Angel, says he will let the other side proceed with the burial but admits that his family has been torn apart forever.