Widow and Son Clash in Court Over Garuga’s Trillion-Shilling Empire

KAMPALA — Uganda is witnessing a stormy inheritance battle that has shattered one of western Uganda’s most influential families, barely weeks after the burial of tycoon and politician James Garuga Musinguzi.

Garuga, a trailblazer in tea production, tourism, and community development, passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 72 after a long fight with cancer. He left behind his widow, Peace Kesime, four children, and an empire valued in the trillions spanning tea estates, luxury resorts, vast ranches, and prime urban properties.

But family unity quickly gave way to discord. His first-born son, Alwyn Carl Musinguzi, has filed a caveat through M/S Abaine-Buregyeya & Co. Advocates, blocking his mother’s bid for sole letters of administration over the estate.

“Let nothing be done in the matter of the estate of the late James Garuga Musinguzi without notice to me,” reads Carl’s application.

In his affidavit, Carl outlines what he calls a massively under-declared empire. He points to a Shs 6 billion mansion in Mbuya, a Shs 20 billion country home in Rugyeyo, and a chain of rentals in Kampala generating millions every month. The estate also includes more than 152 land titles under Garuga Properties Ltd, expansive ranches in Ngoma and Kyankwanzi, majority shares in Kigezi Highland Tea Ltd which operates four factories in southwestern Uganda and the 35-acre Savanna Resort Hotel in Kanungu, a luxury getaway complete with a golf course and private airstrip.

Carl argues that all beneficiaries are adults and capable of jointly managing the empire, stressing that leaving the estate under a single administrator is risky. He also faults his mother for not securing a Certificate of No Objection from the Administrator General, a legal prerequisite under the Succession Act.

The dispute has laid bare deep fractures in a family once united in grief. To many, Garuga was more than a businessman he was a visionary who revitalized tea production in Kigezi and invested in Uganda’s tourism sector when few believed in its potential.

Inheritance battles of this magnitude are not new in Uganda, but the sheer scale of Garuga’s empire—spanning trillions of shillings and dozens of enterprises makes this case one of the most consequential succession showdowns in the country’s history.

The High Court’s Family Division has yet to fix a hearing date, but as mother and son square off over the late mogul’s estate, the outcome will not only shape the future of a business empire but also test the bonds of a once-powerful family.