Kampala University founder and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Badru Katerega, has been allowed to return to his Buziga residence after a nearly year-long legal battle with his estranged wife, Jolly Shubaiha Irankunda. The court ruling brings an end to months of exclusion, during which Prof. Katerega was blocked from entering his own home
The decision was delivered by Makindye Court Grade One Magistrate Elisha Arinaitwe, who dismissed Irankunda’s application that sought to prevent the 76-year-old educationist from accessing the house. Irankunda had claimed that Katerega posed a threat due to alleged domestic violence, but the magistrate found no evidence to support the accusations.
Magistrate Arinaitwe explained that rights over matrimonial property can only be determined through divorce, judicial separation, or annulment of marriage. “I am declining any invitation to use this court to curtail the respondent’s access to his residence in the absence of proof of domestic violence. There are no grounds to grant a protection order,” he stated.
Magistrate Arinaitwe explained that rights over matrimonial property can only be determined through divorce, judicial separation, or annulment of marriage. “I am declining any invitation to use this court to curtail the respondent’s access to his residence in the absence of proof of domestic violence. There are no grounds to grant a protection order,” he stated.
The court, however, found that Irankunda failed to provide evidence of violence or threats from Katerega. Instead, her claims largely involved a third party, Charles Kamya, who was not part of the case. The magistrate stressed that restraining Katerega from his home without solid proof would violate his constitutional rights to property and a fair hearing.
With the ruling now in effect, Prof. Katerega can finally return to his Buziga residence. The decision offers him temporary relief after months of being kept away from his own home, marking a significant moment in a long-running domestic dispute.