There is a series of videos that are trending on TikTok and other social media platforms where a son is accusing his biological mother of killing his biological father by denying him treatment abroad and/or sanctioning an operation she knew he wouldn’t survive.
The videos have been circulating because the deceased was a prominent businessman and one of the wealthiest people in Uganda. The son claims wealth was the reason his father died.
The accusations have caused discussions on social media. Lawyers have recorded podcasts on writing wills and what the law says. Upon listening to these stories, some people said they had started the process of writing wills.
Anyway, fights over property are not new and they will never end. Not long ago, somebody else took his father to court accusing him of being too sick to run his business empire and, therefore, should be appointed to manage the estate.
The father who was sued is also one of the wealthiest people in the country. It is perhaps the first case in Uganda where one demands for their inheritance when the parent is still alive since the famous prodigal son Bible story.
Many families face this problem, including those without wealth to write home about. First-born sons are known to throw tantrums when not named heirs of their fathers. Some go to the length of forging wills so that they are named heirs or disputing wills of their fathers.
Others where they are not elected heirs cause unbelievable chaos once there is no will or they are not considered heirs. Others forcibly occupy estate properties while in some scenarios, these sons sell it off to unsuspecting buyers and refuse to share with their siblings or even surviving parents.
If you watch some of the local news on TV, you will see children evicting their mothers or relatives dislodging widows. Given the stories that are today going around, wealthy people must be having sleepless nights thinking about what will happen to their estates once they are gone.
In one of those podcasts and X Spaces that have been organised to discuss wills and inheritance, a lawyer from a prominent Kampala law firm urged people to will themselves something.
He said when you are writing your will, give yourself 30 per cent. People gasped on hearing that. What would a dead person do with 30 per cent? It didn’t take long for him to argue that the 30 per cent is what you should be enjoying before you die.
He was perhaps aware that there are many people who live miserable lives while preserving everything for the children. The children, if one is lucky, will wait for the parents to die before going for each other’s throats over the property or even sell it off before the deceased is even buried.
The unlucky ones are taken to court or accused of killing their spouses. Somebody told me that to forestall these fights, he regularly goes on dates with his children reminding them at every given opportunity that his wealth is his and his wife’s only.
That he has taken them to the best schools and therefore they have already received their inheritance. He tells them that his wealth wasn’t bequeathed to him by his parents. He claims they have listened and understood.
Maybe they have. But when he is not around anymore or when in a position where he cannot make decisions, things may turn out different. You see, most people think they have done a great job of raising their children.
The children are good at disguising themselves. Once the parent is gone or severely incapacitated, the true colours are revealed. This is not just in Uganda. The Rupert Murdoch children have been fighting over News Corp (Fox, Sky etc.) for years and it is only recent that they agreed to a trust agreement.
Their father is still alive but at 95 years old, he is unable to rein over them in. What should parents, especially the wealthy ones, do? Create a trust that manages the properties and distribute the proceeds as instructed.
However, that idea is still new in Uganda. The easiest way could be for wealthy parents to distribute the assets when still alive, transfer full ownership to those being bequeathed to. Many people have done that and limited the flow of bad blood once they are dead or severely incapacitated.
djjuuko@gmail.com
The writer is a communication and visibility consultant.