Male Mabirizi, siblings to conduct DNA test after exclusion from the late father's will

Mukono grade one magistrate Paul Matyama decreed that all people thought to be the children of the late Mohamed Bazindule Lulibedda Mutumba would undergo a DNA relationship test at the state's expense.

The last funeral ceremonies for Mutumba, which were conducted by family members under the direction of one of his sons, Pastor Moses Male, without Mabirizi, who was by that point in prison, were declared invalid by the Chief Magistrates Court in Mengo last month.

This happened after Mabirizi disputed Nalutaaya Stella's claim that he owned some of the property his late father's lover had been using as her own.

The family's decision to conduct final rites during which they dispersed Mutumba's possessions while Mabirizi was not present was deemed improper by the court. The chief magistrate referred to this as being in contempt of court and intended to change the status quo in order to invalidate the lawyer's earlier application.

Mabirizi filed a request at Mukono for an exhumation order for the remains of his late father Mohamed Mutumba, who was buried on June 21, 2022, in Ndese village, Ndese town, Seeta Namuganga sub-county in Mukono district, based on the Mengo Chief Magistrates Court's decision.

In order to determine the relationship between Mabirizi's siblings and his deceased father, a DNA test against all of his siblings would be possible thanks to the exhumation of a portion of the skeleton from the father's bones.

This happened after Mabirizi's brothers testified in court that he is not Mutumba's biological son in part of the documents, and as a result, the lawyer contested a will in which he was not identified as the deceased's son.

Mabirizi also questioned if his alleged siblings were the children of his deceased father in court filings, which prompted him to submit an application to get a DNA test.

In his decision, Mukono Grade One Magistrate Paul Matyama said that Mabirizi was not included as one of Mohamed Mutumba's biological children, who he claims to be his father, in the will that was brought to court.

According to the magistrate, it is the responsibility of the court to order a DNA test in order to help settle this dispute.

In the present case, it is crucial to prove the parentage of all children thought to be decedents of the late Mohamed Bazindule Lulibedda Mutumba.

“A DNA relationship test that determines the degree of relationship between all the offspring can be used to do this. The children of the late Mohamed Bazindule Lulibedda Mutumba will be identified using this technique, in my opinion,” Matyama ruled.

However, the magistrate pointed out that DNA testing on all individuals who are alleged to be the deceased's offspring, including Mabirizi, is instead necessary to determine whether their DNAs match.