High Court Rejects Petition To Exhume The Late Ivan Semwanga’s body

The late Ivan Semwanga was buried on May 30, at his ancestral home in Kayunga district, Nakalilo village. During the ceremony, his team, the Rich gang threw money and poured expensive wines in his grave as a sign of respect for their leader. Many concerns were raised as the different denominations were buried, including those from other countries besides Uganda like South African Rands, and United states dollars.

Following this, the court was petitioned to exhume Ivan Semwanga’s body from the grave. They were told to ask Bank of Uganda and A-plus Funeral Services to remove the money with which the late was buried.

Abey Mgugu argued that, “The purposes of the said monies put into the grave were misused and there was wastage of public property thereby violating social and economic rights of other people,” he said.

There is a common saying; “Let the dead rest” and the high court has obeyed just that. Earlier this morning, our desk was filled with news that Abey Mgugu’s request had been denied.
The presiding Judge Margaret Oumo Oguli, dismissed the case against A-plus funeral management and Bank of Uganda with reason that Mgugu did not have a cause of action against the funeral company because it was not a participant in the throwing of money in the Ivan Semwanga’s grave.

As extracted from a post by NTV Uganda earlier today, Justice Oguli exonerated Bank of Uganda of neglecting its statutory duty to protect currency notes saying a careful perusal of the Bank of Uganda Act gives it no duty to enforce respect of the Ugandan currency and those from other jurisdictions such as the US dollar and the South African Rand that Mgugu claims were also thrown in Semwanga’s grave.
Ivan Semwnaga’s body can now lay in peace thanks to the High Court of Uganda.