HomeAbout LAPSuccess Stories

Story 1: Fair Property Distribution

A 71 years old client and married with children decided to distribute his property in 2021 among his
family members. His wife and children got their shares and the client himself. The wife was not
satisfied with the share she got and therefore decided to petition for divorce, so that she could use
this avenue to get the exact property she needed from the client. The legal aid team in Mbarara
represented the client in court and the matter was decided in his favor. Court maintained the
distribution he made because it was a fair distribution.

Story 2: Freed from Shame

A 57 years old client approached LAP-Mbarara in 2019 with both civil and criminal cases filed against
him by his former employer. The former employer accused him of stealing a Generator worth 30
million. The legal team in Mbarara represented him in both the civil and criminal matters and in regard
to the criminal case No. 1767/2028 he was acquitted and discharged. In the civil matter, judgment
was delivered in his favor. His employer decided to appeal against the judgment. The appeal was
dismissed and the awards in the judgment maintained. He was so excited and appreciated the Legal
Aid Project of the Uganda Law Society for having represented him.

Story 3: Orphaned children recover late father’s Property

A client visited our Legal aid office in Kampala (Luzira) for Legal assistance. She stated that her father died intestate when she was still 9 years of age and that she later learnt from her relatives that the administrator of her late father’s estate is her paternal uncle and that he has been benefiting from the estate over the years. That he did not even use the proceeds he got from the estate to provide basic necessities to them (beneficiaries). The children were so disappointed in their uncle and this caused them emotional stress.

A case was filed at the High of Uganda Family Division for an order of comprehensive and true statement of accounts of all the dealings with the estate and further an order to grant our client her share of the property. During the court intervention the matter was referred for mediation and the parties’ consented and the uncle agreed to streamline the entire estate and give the client her share. This was further made through a locus visit to inspect and confirm the property which was successfully done and on 31-01-24 the consent judgment was entered by court. The client is thankful for the intervention of the legal aid project.

Story 4: Widow recovers late husband’s land

A client reported that she was married in 1976 and God blessed them with four children, but unfortunately the husband was killed during the insurgency in Teso in 1987. For fear of losing her life, she was forced to seek refuge in Jinja up to 2004 when she decided to return to her matrimonial home in Teso. On return, she found that her brother-in-law was utilizing her late husband’s land and blocked her from utilizing it claiming that she was now a stranger in the family. The client sought assistance from the legal aid clinic in Soroti. The advocate invited the client and the brother-in-law for a mediation at the office during which she sensitized the parties about the law of succession, women and children rights. As a result of the information received and the discussions held during the mediation, our client’s brother-in-law handed back the land measuring 13 acres to her, she is now settled and utilizing the land.

Story 5: Fair distribution of deceased’s estate

A client approached the LAP Kampala clinic over a complaint that he and his siblings were given their late mother’s share of their late grandfather’s estate as lineal descendants but that the land given was in a swamp. The family members were invited for mediation and the meetings were held at the office including a visit to the locus where it was established that indeed the share is in the swamp. The family members apologized and agreed to give the client and his siblings another share which is not in the swamp from the remaining unshared part of the estate.

Story 6: Property recovered

A client reported to our office that one of her relatives fraudulently sold off her late father’s estate yet and that the buyer had attempted to take over possession of the land. Mediation meetings were heldwith the parties and finally the client was compensated to a tune of 12,000,000/= to enable her purchase of an alternative piece of land.