The remains of legendary Kadongokamu musician Paul Job Kafeero were exhumed on Monday morning following a court order aimed at resolving a bitter, long-running feud over his estate and lineage.
The exercise was carried out to obtain bone and tissue samples for DNA testing. The results will determine the biological parentage of several individuals claiming to be the late music icon’s children.
According to Joseph Luzige, the legal counsel representing the children who claim they were wrongfully excluded from the estate, the costly exercise was funded by outgoing State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara.
“Samples from the late Kafeero’s body will be compared with samples from all the contesting children at the government laboratory on Wednesday,” Luzige said. “This scientific intervention will finally settle this matter once and for all.”
Government Chief Pathologist, Dr Moses Byaruhanga, who oversaw the process, defended the decision, noting it was necessary to put an end to years of public speculation and internal family rancour.
“This definitive test will remove all doubts and anxiety regarding the true lineage of Paul Job Kafeero’s offspring,” Dr. Byaruhanga stated.
Stella Nantongo, one of Kafeero’s widely acknowledged children, expressed mixed emotions about the development, describing it as a painful but unavoidable step.
“This is the last thing we wanted to happen to our father’s resting place,” Nantongo said. “But if it is the only way to solve the underlying issues tearing the family apart, then it is good that it has been done.”
The exhumation drew crowds of local residents, who were kept at a distance by security. While some locals expressed cultural discomfort over disturbing the dead, others agreed that the prolonged legal battle over Kafeero’s legacy needed a final resolution.
DNA test results are expected to be released next week.