Foul Play Cited in Exhumation of Late George Opio for DNA Sample Collection as Widow Brenda Mutonyi is Side-lined

A widow to the late George Opio has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abas Byakagaba and Presidency Minister Hon Babalanda Milly Babirye to intervene and bring justice in a conflict regarding the exhumation of her late Husband where she claims that she has been sidelined by some family perpetrators for selfish reasons who are pushing for process which is not transparent.

The Late Opio George , an Itesot from Bukedea District was a renowned businessman, founder of Mother Majeri Primary School and Mama Junior School (Malaba) who succumbed to COVID-19, 10 days after he had celebrated his birthday.

Following Opio’s death, family wrangles erupted after a section of the deceased relatives and his first wife and the deceased’s mother Ms Acan Manjeri allegedly demanded paternity testing to confirm the biological relationship of with the children.

However, Brenda Mutonyi Kashamba, the deceased’s second wife who was married officially with both traditionally and mother to the contested children, who is an agreement with the DNA sample collection, protests the set date for exhumation saying that her lead counsel in the matter ms Ortus Advocates has been kept out of the know and they have no idea about what is going on.

‘’Today the 20^th of December 2024 at about 5:30pm , I was served with a letter dated 19^th December 2024notifying me of an exhumation process to take place on the 22^nd day of December 2024.Along it came many other correspondences that suggest consents reached without my involvement suggestive of reasonable belief that my lawyers Mwine Tumwebaze of Abbas Advocates and Kitaka Martin of Ms Asiimwe & Kitaka advocates were acting on their own and not on my behalf entirely’’, reads in part Kashamba’s letter addressed to IGP.

She further notes that her preferred lead counsel in this matter  matter Ortus Advocates has been kept out of the know and therefore lawyers Mwine Tumwebaze of Abbas Advocates and Kitaka Martin of Ms Asiimwe & Kitaka advocates has no instructions in this matter anymore and should not represent her at this exhumation over their conduct as professionals.

‘’I therefore write to notify you and all offices below you that will not participate in this process and my preferred lawyer Ortus Advocates copied herein  are requested to agree to another date and a process that is more transparent. Kindly support transparency in this matter for I believe my estranged mother-in-law and her team of support is only driven by greed other than justice’’, concludes Kashamba’s letter.

According to family sources, the late Opio left behind 7 children with Kashamba and all are still miners.  Opio had other four children (girls) with his first wife of whom he reportedly separated with and after staying alone with the children for a number of years, he allegedly decided to take another wife.

The court granted an order to exhume Opio’s body but no dates were agreed. The judge asked all the parties to meet and agree on processes and dates.

‘’Unfortunately that didn’t happen. The widow received a letter last evening at about 6pm that the RDC of Bukedea District had allegedly said the body has to be exhumed on the 22nd, just one day away’’, said a family source’’, added a source.

The Resident District Commissioner for Bukedea, William Wilberforce Tukei is reportedly questioned for his involvement in the process which is alleged to be unfair, after lawyers Mwine Tumwebaze of Abbas Advocates and Kitaka Martin of Ms Asiimwe & Kitaka advocates claimed that they got a communication from him a district security committee reportedly approved 22^nd day of December 2024 for exhumation.

Efforts to get RDC Tukei’s comment were futile by press time.