Samuel Mugisha, the acting regional registrar in charge of Education and Public Affairs at the Judicial Service Commission, stressed the need to know the basics of such laws so that they understand the procedure of managing them.
Ugandans have been asked to inform themselves about the basic law on succession, to avoid inheritance disputes.
The legal framework governing estate and succession management in Uganda is contained in the Succession Act, Cap 162.
However, in Uganda especially the rural areas where many are ignorant about such law, upon the death of, especially the head of a home, people do informal distribution of property, without the involvement of the court, which in most cases leaves out main beneficiaries of the deceased’s property, such as orphans and widows.
Samuel Mugisha, the acting regional registrar
in charge of Education and Public Affairs at the Judicial Service Commission, stressed the need to know the basics of such laws so that they understand the procedure of managing them.
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Addressing the media on Thursday in Arua, Mugisha also appealed to people intending to
start a family, to legalize their marriage, and to have rights over property.
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Mugisha also urged those intending to marry to
acquire the national identification card, a new and additional requirement from
the National Identification Regulatory Authority-NIRA or by law to have a national
identification card.
He, however, warned people who always change
their names and contract other marriages that it is an offence, and could
affect them during property inheritance.
Teddy Gloria Yako, a widow and Speaker of Arua
City revealed that when her husband died, she faced the challenge of
inheriting his property because his parents grabbed every property until she was
aided by FIDA Uganda years later to get them back.
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Rehema Minala, a legal officer with FIDA
Uganda Arua office appealed to the women to be acquainted with Article 26 of
the Uganda Constitution of 1955, on the different ways they can own property
such as land, which are through inheritance, purchase, and gift.
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In Uganda, many customs don’t recognize women
during property inheritance, especially widows. But legally, a widow and female
children are entitled to a share of the deceased’s estate.
According to sections 29 and 30 of the
Succession Amendment Act, 2021, a spouse of a deceased is entitled to 20
percent of the property if there are dependent relatives, lineal dependents,
and heirs.
However, if the deceased leaves no surviving dependent relatives or
dependent relatives, and heir the spouse receives 50 percent of the intestate’s
property.