Masindi: Residents of Kasomoro Village in Buruli County, Masindi District, were Wednesday afternoon left in shock after two families clashed over the burial of Aisha Mbabazi.
Mbabazi, who passed away on Tuesday evening, had been married to Abdul Ahmed Byarugaba for 20 years. The couple lived in the same area and had nine children.
The deceased’s husband, Abdul Ahmed Byarugaba, told our reporter that the family had agreed to bury Mbabazi at his home, but the in-laws rejected the decision and insisted on taking the body to Mubende District for burial. Byarugaba said the disagreement disrupted burial plans, yet a grave had already been dug at his home.
Faruk Tibamwenda, the deceased’s brother and an heir, said he held discussions with another brother only identified as Ramathan in an attempt to harmonize the matter, but Ramathan declined to agree.
Ramathan insisted that those interested in burying their mother should travel with him in his vehicle.
Some relatives suggested that Mbabazi should be buried from her marital home, but the proposal was rejected.
Tibamwenda further told our reporter that Ramathan and his colleagues had previously sold their share of family land and relocated to Mubende District, where they eventually took the body for burial. He added that although the family had agreed to bury Mbabazi in Masindi, a group from Mubende forcefully took the body.
He also revealed that due to the dispute, three graves were dug at different locations the marital home, the ancestral home, and ancestral land. Tibamwenda attributed the conflict to claims that dowry had not been fully paid.
The LC1 Chairperson of Kasomoro Village, Yosam Majara, confirmed that the scuffle arose due to disagreements over the burial site.
Majara said this was the first incident of its kind in the area and appealed to married couples to fulfill cultural requirements, including dowry payment, to avoid such conflicts.
However, the deceased’s husband dismissed the claims, stating that he had partially paid dowry in 2005 and 2006. He expressed disappointment, noting that all burial arrangements had already been finalized.
By the time we filed this story, the body had been taken to Mubende district for burial.
