Court presumes man missing for 40 years dead

What the report says

The High Court in Kabale has declared Izidoro Turwomwe presumed dead, more than 40 years after he reportedly disappeared, clearing the way for his family to seek a death certificate and start legal steps to manage his estate. The ruling was delivered by Justice Karoli Lwanga Ssemogerere on September 29, 2026, in a case brought by Turwomwe’s son, David Ngabirano Turwome.

According to the court record summarized by The Independent Uganda, Turwomwe was said to have gone missing around 1983 and had not been seen or heard from since. His family reported the disappearance to police, but no reliable information about his whereabouts emerged over the decades. The application asked the court to formally presume him dead and direct the National Identification and Registration Authority, or NIRA, to register the death and issue a certificate.

The respondents did not oppose the presumption of death, though one respondent objected to the son being appointed estate manager. During the hearing, the parties agreed to proceed with the declaration so estate matters could move forward under succession law. The judge said the legal test under the Registration of Persons Act had been met because the man had been missing for well over seven years and no evidence was presented to challenge that account.

The court also distinguished between temporary management of a missing person’s property and a formal declaration of death for estate administration. NIRA’s Kabale office has been directed to issue the certificate, after which the matter can be taken to the Administrator General for an inquiry into the estate.