KAMPALA: Ugandan lawyer Jordan Ssebuliba Kiwanuka, who is the son of city tycoon Mohan Kiwanuka, is involved in a bitter family wrangle with his stepmother Maria Kiwanuka, a former minister in president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government.
Ssebuliba, who is one of tycoon Mohan Kiwanuka’s sons, alleges that his stepmother Maria is not only fighting to throw him out of the family property, but went to the extent of using underhand methods to cause Law council to revoke his certificate for legal practice.
In a bid to save his career, Ssebuliba is now seeking the intervention of Parliament in the matter, so that after presenting his case, the August House can reign upon the Uganda Law Council to reverse the decision to revoke his certificate.
We have since established that Ssebuliba is petitioning the Parliament through
members of Parliament under the Muslim Parliamentary Caucus whom he prays can lay this matter before the Committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
It should be noted that around November 2023 Ssebuliba held a meeting with Members of Muslim Parliamentary caucus , seeking intervention on his suspension by the Law Council, who reportedly advised him to interest the Committee in the matter.
According to Ssebuliba, the plot to revoke his certificate was orchestrated by his stepmother Maria Kiwanuka, whom he alleges used her networks in the government, which also came with a penalty of Shs100m.
A complaint of professional misconduct against Ssebuliba was filed by Visa Investments Limited, a company owned by businessman Mohan Kiwanuka through Odokel Opolot & Company Advocates on instructions of ruthless Maria Kiwanuka.
He now wants the Parliamentary Muslim Caucus to assist him in recovering his certificate and to reign upon his stepmother Maria Kiwanuka to separate his professional career from the family wrangles.
It is important to note that Ssebuliba’s father tycoon Kiwanuka is no longer in control of his vast business empire after he was declared to be in vegetative state by medical professionals and courts of law a few years back.
Ssebuliba alleges that his stepmother took advantage of the situation to not only hijack control and management of his father’s property, but is also fighting off some family members and relatives, to ensure that it’s only her biological children who will benefit the lion share of Kiwanuka’s estate when, Lord forbid, he passes away.
He claims that through her machinations, Maria hijacked the Powers of Attorney over their father’s estate, thereby assuming the authority to distribute the tycoon’s property as she wishes, and in so doing, leaving his family torn apart.
However, according to Ssebuliba, the property wars and family wrangles wouldn’t have been a big issue if his stepmother hadn’t reached the extent of crippling his professional career by having his certificate revoked.
It’s because of this that he seeks the intervention of Parliament in the matter, so that he can be able to regain his certificate and earn a living through legal practice, which is his professional calling.
In March 2021, Ssebuliba was evicted from Seven Trees, a luxury facility premised in Folio 20, plot 21-29 along Golf Course Road in Kololo and from his offices situated at Plot 10 Akii Bua Avenue in Nakasero following a court order. He had occupied the properties since 2009.
Ssebuliba since 2019 filed several lawsuits against his father, Kiwanuka.
Among the cases involved were taking over some of his father’s properties in the city suburbs of Kampala, citing mental disability.
In the same year, Sebuliba filed another case, accusing Mohan of giving away property belonging to Visa Investments Limited.
Both cases were dismissed, prompting Mohan through his lawyer Faisal Mukasa to apply for an execution order for vacant possession of the properties before the then disbanded Execution Division Court.
However, efforts by Ssebuliba to block the execution of the order through an application, seeking to stay it failed after Justice Elizabeth Kabanda dismissed it, hence the eviction.”
