Outgoing Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, fully funded the forensic exhumation of late music icon Prince Paul Kafeero to settle a bitter 20-year family dispute involving over 20 children claiming paternity.
A specialized team of state pathologists exhumed the remains of the celebrated Kadongo Kamu singer on Monday morning to extract bone samples for comprehensive DNA testing. The intervention brings a dramatic breakthrough to a multi-decade legal impasse that has fractured the late musician's estate since his death. The high-profile forensic exercise coincides with a major transition for Barugahara, whom President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recently elevated to Minister of Local Government in the new cabinet lineup.
The forensic team, led by the Director of Police Health Services, Assistant Inspector General of Police Dr. Moses Byaruhanga, conducted the exhumation under strict legal guidelines. Court bailiffs and key family representatives witnessed the morning procedure to guarantee transparency and preserve the chain of custody. The Government Analytical Laboratory will analyze the retrieved biological matrices alongside the state-of-the-art Uganda Police Forensic Laboratory to deliver definitive scientific results.
Barugahara explained that he chose to personally finance the expensive laboratory testing to restore long-awaited harmony among the grieving relatives. He noted that the continuous societal friction surrounding the true identity of the heirs required immediate legal closure. The incoming Local Government Minister emphasized that establishing indisputable biological facts remains the ultimate path to structural justice.
“Following the successful exhumation of his remains this morning for DNA sampling, a process that has remained unresolved for over 20 years is finally underway,” Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi stated.
The Minister commended the judiciary and local law enforcement agencies for executing the sensitive court order with maximum professionalism. He urged the public to remain respectful of the family’s privacy while the scientific laboratories process the delicate genetic profiles. Barugahara concluded his briefing by sharing a biblical reflection to underscore the inevitability of truth in complex family dynamics.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known,” Barugahara added, quoting the Gospel of Luke.
