Until his death on June 9, 2024, Dr Kasasa was one of the wealthiest people in Uganda.
His business empire spanned more than 50 real estate properties across the country and in the UK, including a square mile in the upscale Kampala suburb of Mutungo. In spite of his eminent status, he always lived a simple life.
Since 2002, Dr Kasasa has faced several threats to his massive wealth as several individuals and entities swarmed around his properties. Incidentally, Dr Kasasa is the uncle and mentor of Mohan Kiwanuka, another tycoon whose health struggles have pitted his immediate family against one another.
For Dr Kasasa, he sternly fought them off in court until his death aged 92 years. However, all has not been well, even from within his family. Whereas there are several battles in court to save his properties, a new case of fraud has emerged within the family, pitting siblings against each other.
At the centre of the battle is a property on Plot 11 Cooper road at the upscale Kisementi, Kamwokya. It is estimated to be worth about Shs 4 billion. Documentation shows that whereas Dr Kasasa gifted the property to one of his sons, Yusuf Bwete Kasasa, as far back as 1976 and went on to even transfer the ownership to his names, some of his siblings now claim their late father later leased the same land to a one Andrew Ssetimba Kaweesa after he failed to pay back a loan of $800,000 [Shs 2.8 billion] obtained in 2019.
Bwete, who lives in the UK, has been collecting rent from the upscale property until May this year when four of his siblings headed by Sophie Nambalirwa Kasasa as the heiress, introduced Ssetimba to the tenants as the new rightful owner and that all rents should be paid to him.
The move has opened a deep rift that is likely to have far-reaching repercussions on Dr Kasasa’s vast estate.
SCAM?
All was well until June 4 this year when Nambalirwa, Dr Kasasa’s heiress, wrote to the property tenants to introduce Ssetimba as the new owner. Bwete only got to learn of the ownership change from the tenants and immediately returned to the country.
Nambalirwa and another sibling, Janet Nakawunde Kasasa were arrested on July 4, 2025 and detained at Kira Road police station but they were released on bond that same weekend. Other siblings that allegedly conspired are Sarah Nabuwule Kasasa and Daoda Ddamba.
By this time, Ssetimba, using high-level connections within security, had already taken over and placed guards at the property. The matter is still being investigated by the police and State House Anti-Corruption Unit (Shacu).
Ironically, Ssetimba’s application for consent transfer for the 49-year leasehold has a transfer consideration of $800,000 [Shs 2.8 billion] yet on the same document, the chief government valuer places the value of the property at just Shs 700m.
SSETIMBA REACTS
Reached out for his side of the story, Ssetimba says Dr Kasasa approached him seeking a loan of Shs 200 million, which he agreed to but Dr Kasasa never paid the money back.
“In January 2019, Dr Kasasa returned, this time requesting a significantly larger amount of Shs 3 billion. He presented the title for Plot 11, Cooper road, Kololo. I told him I was not a moneylender, but I offered to purchase the property on the condition that he could buy it back at an agreed value. We agreed that I would give him $800,000 and he would repurchase the property later for $1 million. He told me he was expecting compensation from the government of approximately Shs 40 billion and was confident he would repay me soon. We signed a sales agreement and he provided all necessary documentation, including the land title, transfer forms and photographs,” he says.
“The title was in the name of Yusuf Bwete, whom he said was his son. He explained that he had registered the title under his son’s name for custody purposes and emphasized that the son had not contributed financially to acquiring the land. He had also recently renewed the lease for another 49 years.”
Following the agreement, Ssetimba says he disbursed the $800,000 in installments and held on to the title, awaiting his repayment and buy-back.
“By February, 2023, our original agreement had expired. Given his declining health, I advised him to formally transfer the property into my name to safeguard my investment. He agreed and transferred the title into my name. Despite this, I did not take possession of the property, waiting instead for him to receive the government compensation and settle the debt. Before his death, he reportedly secured Shs 6 billion in compensation from the ministry of Lands, but fell critically ill and eventually passed away without repaying the money,” he adds.
Ssetimba says the original sale agreement from 2019 was witnessed by Nambalirwa.
“I approached her and demanded repayment, but we settled on a top-up of $200,000, which I paid to the family in exchange for full ownership. I now possess the property and there is no parallel title,” he notes.
BWETE SPEAKS
However, Bwete insists this is all collusion, fraud and forgery to deprive him of his property. Through his lawyers, Bwete says that whereas a search at KCCA land registry on June 4, 2025 established he was the registered owner of the property, it also established that on April 10, 2025, the land office had created a parallel title over the property and registered it in favour of Ssetimba.
The root of the fraud, Bwete says, started with the creation of an impression that he had ‘given back’ the same property to Dr Kasasa in 2001.
“That so-called loan agreement is a ghost transaction. I had entrusted the title deed with my father because I have lived most of my life abroad. But when I returned after his death, my siblings claimed they didn’t know its whereabouts. It is baffling. This is fraud of alarming proportions. If it were true that the transfer took place in 2023, then on November 7, 2024 when the family did the search, it must have indicated Ssetimba’s name, not mine,” he says.
Bwete adds that his investigations have discovered that all the purported transfers were done this year, a year after Dr Kasasa’s death. In all, Bwete has no kind words for his four siblings involved in this saga.
So, it remains to be seen how this matter will be resolved, but the latest family fallout follows a disturbing trend of extremely rich men leaving behind chaotic situations on their death.
geofreyserugo1992@gmail.com
This habit of survivors fighting over property of the deceased is a curse on our society. Really, these siblings aren’t helping the memory of Dr. Kasasa who must have toiled to build his wealth and now here we are with children turning his bones violently in his grave.
This is a big, widespread problem in the districts where we are called to resolve such family wrangles based on survivors not wanting to work for themselves. May justice prevail!
It doesn’t matter how or why the father registered the property to the son; he whose name is on the title has legal ownership. That means the father’s agreement or deal with Ssetimba is, in law, null and void.
That daemon of GREED is not easy! It sits next to a CURSE.
While chasing wealth around try and teach your children the value of earning their own money through hardwork….
I feel sorry for Mr. Ssetimba, assuming he was haplessly sincere and foolish.