On Thursday, there was tention and mixed reactions at Uganda Police Headquarters in Naguru as individuals claiming to be the biological children of the late Kadongo Kamu legend Paul Job Kafeero gathered to receive the results of court-ordered DNA tests. The exercise, aimed at resolving a 19-year inheritance and paternity dispute, confirmed that only four of the 25 were his offspring.
The findings, announced on yesterday at the Uganda Police Headquarters in Naguru, mark a major turning point in one of Uganda's longest-running inheritance and paternity disputes a case that has divided Kafeero's family since his death in May 2007.
The dispute began shortly after the celebrated singer died unrepresentedly, without leaving a written will. As questions emerged over who his rightful heirs were, an increasing number of individuals came forward claiming to be his children, complicating the administration of his estate, including royalties from his celebrated music catalogue and other family property. Years of legal battles, disagreements among relatives and stalled succession proceedings eventually prompted the courts to order for a DNA Profiling.
Earlier this month, Kafeero's remains were exhumed from his burial site in Buikwe District under a court order. A team of forensic pathologists collected bones and hair samples, which were analysed alongside blood and saliva samples obtained from 25 claimants at the Uganda Police Forensic Directorate and the Government Analytical Laboratory.
As distressed relatives, longtime friends, lawyers and government officials gathered to receive the long-awaited results, police forensic experts announced that only four (4) individuals had been scientifically confirmed as Kafeero's biological children. These include four are Kafeero Benedicto, Kafeero Simon Peter, Kafeero Thomas (also known as Suwazi) and Nagawa Elizabeth.
The news was met with visible emotion from the audience inside the hall. Some family members embraced the results with relief, while others broke down in disagreement after discovering they were not biologically related to the late musician. Several rejected the findings altogether, insisting the results were inaccurate despite the scientific process.
Minister Balaam Barugahara, who supported the DNA exercise, appealed for calm and urged families to embrace DNA testing where paternity is uncertain instead of allowing disputes to persist for generations.
"If you are not sure about the child you are raising, carry out a DNA test early enough," he said. "That way, families can avoid conflicts that eventually force painful decisions such as exhuming the remains of loved ones."
Lawyer Joseph Luzige, who represented some of the claimants, said the forensic exercise had fulfilled its purpose and that the matter would now return to court for the legal determination of inheritance and estate administration.
Several of Kafeero's closefriends also welcomed the results, saying the four confirmed children were the ones the late musician consistently acknowledged during his lifetime.
While the DNA findings appear to have answered the central question of biological parentage, they may not immediately end the family's divisions. Some disappointed claimants have already indicated they intend to challenge the results and continue asserting their place within Kafeero's family.
For Uganda, however, the case represents more than a family dispute. It demonstrates the growing role of forensic science in resolving complex inheritance conflicts, while closing one of the country's most public and emotionally charged succession battles.
Nineteen years after Paul Job Kafeero's death, science has finally provided answers where years of speculation, family testimony and courtroom arguments could not.