LIST: Karangwa’s vast assets revealed as 9 children face off with stepmom

• Karangwa’s estate includes radio stations, petrol stations, farms, apartments, rental houses and extensive land.

• Nine children accuse Kirabo of taking control of the estate and favouring her three biological children.

• Kirabo says Karangwa’s will clearly determines how the property should be distributed.

• The dispute has reached the Jinja High Court after mediation attempts failed.

An estate comprising radio stations, petrol stations, farms, apartments, rental houses and about 43 square miles of land has emerged at the centre of a dispute between the family of the late businessman and politician Moses Karangwa Kalisa.

Nine of Karangwa’s 12 children have appealed for help. They accuse their stepmother, Florence Kirabo, of denying them access to much of their father’s business empire and other property.

The children say Karangwa owned about 20 companies. The known assets include Star React Security Services, Sauti Media Services, City FM, Uniq Oils, Satellite Beach House, Misanga Supply Farm and apartments in Kawempe.

His estate also includes a building on Namirembe Road, 13 petrol stations and land in Kayunga, Gulu, the Apaa area and Mubende. Other reported assets include houses in Bbaale, Mengo and Jinja.

Karangwa also owned rental houses in Kampala, Jinja, Iganga, Mbale and Kayunga. He reportedly had companies dealing in timber and others supplying food and other goods to the police, army, prisons and government departments.

The full value of the estate remains unknown.

Karangwa, the former Kayunga District NRM chairperson and senior presidential advisor for special duties, died after a road crash at Ssukka Village on the Kayunga-Jinja highway in May 2026. He left 12 children.

The dispute pits Kirabo and her three biological children against nine other children led by Karangwa’s eldest daughter, Jackline Birungi.

The nine children claim Kirabo took control of much of the estate after their father’s death. They accuse her of bringing her relatives into the businesses while denying them income and access to some family property.

They are working with Karangwa’s younger brother, Augustine Tumwine, as they seek control of what they consider their rightful inheritance.

The children also contest the validity of a will which they claim gives at least 95 per cent of the estate to Kirabo and her three children. They say the nine other children were left to share a small part of the property.

Birungi claims Kirabo started selling cattle from the family farm before Karangwa’s burial. She also accuses her of blocking some of the children from visiting the family home in Budaali Village, Bbaale Sub-county, where Karangwa was buried.

The children addressed journalists in Kayunga Town on September 13, 2026. They said attempts to settle the dispute through dialogue had failed.

They claim several senior government officials and family friends, including Operation Wealth Creation coordinator Gen Salim Saleh and retired judge Richard Buteera, tried to mediate without success.

The dispute has since reached the Jinja High Court. The court registrar summoned Kirabo on September 1, 2026, and directed her to file her defence, according to a report by the Daily Monitor⁠.

Kirabo has rejected the accusations. She insists that the family should respect Karangwa’s will.

“The will is very clear,” she said.

The dispute highlights the risks wealthy families face when the ownership of businesses, land and company shares remains contested after a parent’s death. The danger grows where the deceased leaves children from different relationships.

Parents can reduce such conflicts by writing a valid will and keeping an updated record of their property, debts, company shares and intended beneficiaries. They should also appoint independent executors and explain their plans to affected family members.

Business owners should separate personal property from company assets. They should document shareholding, succession and management arrangements. Regular legal reviews can also account for new children, marriages, businesses or property.

Such planning may not prevent every dispute, but it can reduce uncertainty and protect children from lengthy court battles.