Paternity Dispute Sparks Burial Row as Lwengo Woman Carries Dead Child Away

What the report says

A burial dispute in Kitwekyanjovu Village, Kayazanga Sub-county in Lwengo District has drawn attention after a two-year-old boy was eventually laid to rest at the boundary of his paternal family’s kibanja. According to Nile Post, the boy’s burial had first been resisted by relatives, amid questions over whether he was biologically related to his father’s family.

The report says the child’s mother, identified only as Mackline, is married to Joseph Ssewankambo and lives in the village. After the boy died on Tuesday evening, she reportedly took the body away from the family home and tried to seek burial support from another family, but returned after that effort failed. Residents said the disagreement deepened when the paternal relatives insisted the child could not be buried on their property.

The article describes the dispute as part of a wider pattern of domestic tensions between Mackline and her husband’s relatives. Neighbours alleged there had been earlier arguments, including claims that the mother accused her mother-in-law of contributing to the child’s death by giving him too much medicine. The report notes that these allegations were not independently verified. The child’s grandmother, Regina Naluyima, also said she was insulted when she arrived at the home.

In the end, the father’s family agreed to the burial, but only at the edge of the kibanja rather than in the main burial area. Village chairperson Achleo Ntambazi condemned the episode, saying family conflict and paternity disputes can create serious strain during bereavement.