The High Court will on Friday decide where the remains of fallen city lawyer Robert Aldrige Kasango will be laid to rest.
On March 12, the widow of deceased city lawyer, Nice Bitarabeho Kasango dragged her mother-in-law, Rosie Kabise for interfering with the burial arrangements of her husband.
Through her lawyers, Bitarabeho wants court to issue orders restraining Kabise from interfering with the burial of Kasango in Gweri village, Burahya County, Fort Portal city in Kabarole district.
Bitarabeho explained that together with their three children, Samora Kasango, Stephanie Kasango and Ivan Kasango, they all along knew that the deceased wanted and willed to be buried in Fort Portal.
“It is only fair and equitable that the body of the late be unconditionally released to the applicant for burial in Fort portal,” she requested in her application filed.
Kasango died on 27 February in Murchison Bay Hospital inside Luzira Prison but burial arrangements were indefinitely postponed to allow his family and in-laws to reach an amicable agreement on where his remains should be laid to rest. The cause of death was reported to be heart failure.
On March 2, during the funeral service at the All saints Namirembe Cathedral, a group of Kasango’s relatives from Tororo District in Eastern Uganda stormed the church and grabbed the casket containing his remains from the A-Plus pallbearers.
Relatives from the side of Kasango’s wife Nice Bitarabeho Kasango and eldest son Samora Paul Kasango tried to insist but they were overpowered by the team from Kasango’s family. Police intervened, pursued the pickup, intercepted it, removed the body and handed it back to his wife’s family.
Kasango was jailed in 2018. He was serving 16 years sentence in jail over Shs15 billion pension funds by the Anti-Corruption Court. He was also involved in another high-profile case involving the Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa at some point.
Kasango was sentenced alongside the former top Ministry of Public Service officials who include the former Permanent Secretary, Jimmy Lwamafa, Principal Accountant and the former Commissioner for the Compensation Department in the same ministry.
While in prison Kasango became a lecturer teaching law at prison, helped inmates to get international degrees from University of London. He continued to help inmates to convene and pray fellowship, get closer to God as he invited prison officials to communion with him and other inmates.
