KAMPALA – City businessman Karim Hirji is embroiled in a multibillion property row with his stepchildren over conversion and disposal of the late Ziba Nanyonga Hirji’s estates both in Uganda and in the United Kingdom.
The biological children of Nanyonga Hirji popular name Charm who was married to the Imperial Group of Hotels proprietor have since petitioned the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, claiming that the businessmen and Attorney General William Byaruhanga and another city lawyer fraudulently grabbed properties that belonged to their late mother hence denying them inheritance.
The property and bank accounts under contention are residential premises in the United Kingdom. Those in Uganda include two houses in Bugolobi, two properties in Kololo, two shopping arcades in Kampala, two properties on Mawanda Road, and others in Nansana and Gayaza.
The three complainants include Linda Birungi, Ronald Birungi, and Anita Birungi, three of the six biological children of the deceased who say that Mr. Hirji, their stepfather allegedly forged a will to obtain a grant of probate to indicate that he and his employee Joseph Ssempebwa were beneficiaries of the deceased’s estates.
The trio accuses Mr. Karim of converting the deceased’s property into his names as an absolute owner, misappropriating monies in both her accounts and children’s trust accounts, and proceeds from her life insurance policy, for his own benefits.
“Parliament should help investigate our mum’s property that was transferred five days to her death. Mum was in coma and couldn’t understand what was happening. She had started taking strong medicine that impaired her judgment four months before her death,” the children said, asking Speaker Kadaga to compel Bank of Uganda to investigate the money on said bank accounts.
The children filed a case in the Family Division of the High Court but they say it has not been very helpful so they want Parliament to intervene.
“We even went to the Bamugemereire Commission (on land) but we didn’t get much help,” the children say.