An elderly mother and her children in Sembabule District have made a desperate appeal to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for urgent intervention in a bitter family dispute involving their own son and brother, a serving Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) accused of subjecting relatives to violence, intimidation and threats to their lives.
The mother, Mrs Getrude Kamwerere Karuhanga, says she has endured years of distress after allegedly being forced out of her family home by her son, Richard Tabaro, who serves as Deputy RDC of Apac District. Together with her other children, she is now seeking presidential protection, fearing that continued inaction could expose the family to further violence and potentially tragic consequences.
The petition, dated September 14, 2025, was signed by Mrs Karuhanga and her children, Bitega Jackson, Bamushabire Betty, Nsiime Joy and Kasande Deborah. They have addressed their appeal to President Museveni through the Secretary to the Presidency, Hajji Yunus Kakande, and the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babalanda, asking for urgent intervention to end what they describe as persistent harassment and intimidation at their family home in Kashozi Kamwe, Ntusi Sub-County, Sembabule District.
The family’s latest appeal comes after several attempts to resolve the dispute through family meetings, police intervention and administrative mediation reportedly failed to produce a lasting solution.
Instead, the siblings allege that Tabaro has continued to rain terror on the family through threats, intimidation and acts of violence, leaving their elderly mother and other vulnerable relatives living in fear.
They now want President Museveni to personally intervene before the situation escalates further.
According to the petition, the family originally lived at Kashaare in Kashari, Mbarara District, before collectively deciding in 2017 to sell the property and acquire new land at Kashozi Kamwe in Ntusi Sub-County, Sembabule District. The new property subsequently became their principal family home and the centre of their agricultural activities.
The family identifies their mother as the custodian of the family heritage but accuses Tabaro of forcefully occupying the family house in 2022 and displacing her.
They further allege that he took possession of important land purchase agreements, prompting their mother to report the matter to Sembabule Police.
The petition states that following police intervention, Tabaro requested a family meeting involving community members. During the meeting, it was reportedly resolved that he should vacate the house, restore it to his mother and return the disputed land documents.
However, the family claims that the apparent reconciliation did not bring lasting peace.
One of the most disturbing allegations concerns an incident on May 6, 2025, involving Tabaro’s elder brother, Bitega Jackson, who is reportedly disabled.
The family alleges that Tabaro attempted to physically attack his brother after receiving a telephone call from his superior, the Oyam District RDC, Shilaku James, who had reportedly cautioned him about complaints raised by his siblings.
The petition further alleges that when Jackson’s wife, Jane Busingye, intervened to protect her husband, Tabaro turned his aggression towards her and assaulted her instead.
The matter was reportedly reported to police under case reference NTS MCB 003/2025 and subsequently taken to Sembabule Court.
The family also accuses Tabaro of participating in the destruction of property belonging to his sisters, Bamushabire Betty, Nsiime Joy and Kasande Deborah, on the same day.
According to the petition, he allegedly brought workers to the property, supervised the cutting down of a fence and provided protection while the destruction was taking place. The complaint was registered under NTS CRB 039/2025.
Beyond the alleged violence and property destruction, the family has raised concerns about suspected forgery and the use of false documents in attempts to obtain powers of attorney relating to the family land.
The cases are reportedly under investigation at Sembabule Police under references Ntusi/CRB/040/2025 and Ntusi/MCD/003/2025.
Even more alarming are allegations of continued threats against the elderly mother and her disabled son. The family claims that Tabaro has repeatedly threatened them, with some of the threats reportedly recorded.
They further allege that he has used workers living near the family home to intimidate and harass them, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
The siblings also claim that Tabaro has invoked his government position to intimidate family members and frustrate their efforts to obtain justice. They allege that some of his associates have been released following police intervention after his involvement.
The family is particularly concerned that the person they accuse of tormenting them holds a government position whose responsibilities include protecting citizens and maintaining law and order.
They have also questioned his alleged participation in partisan political activities while serving as Deputy RDC. They claim that on May 6, 2025, he contested and won the NRM village structure chairmanship election using the name Karuhanga Richard.
The siblings say they have exhausted several avenues of seeking help, including mediation by Tabaro’s immediate superior, but the interventions have not produced a lasting solution.
In their appeal to President Museveni, they are requesting an impartial investigation into the alleged assault, threats, property destruction, forgery and abuse of office.
They are also asking for Tabaro’s temporary interdiction or suspension from his duties as Deputy RDC of Oyam District to safeguard investigations from possible interference.
Additionally, they want relevant security, police and administrative authorities directed to protect their mother and disabled brother from further intimidation and threats.
The family says it has attached supporting materials, including photographs of destroyed property, police and court references, disputed documents and other evidence, to its petition.
For Mrs Karuhanga, the situation presents a particularly painful family predicament: seeking protection from the very son whom she and her other children accuse of making their home a place of fear rather than refuge.
Their appeal to Museveni is therefore not simply about a family disagreement over property. It is also a plea for protection, accountability and the assurance that public office cannot be used to intimidate citizens, even when those citizens happen to be one’s own relatives.
The family is now asking the President, through Hajji Yunus Kakande and Minister Milly Babalanda, to urgently come out and address their plight, ensure their safety and direct an independent investigation into the allegawage.
A history of violence and threats
The family are concerned that Tabaro’s documented history of violence leaves them dangerously exposed to danger. Busingye Jane, wife to Tabaro’s elder brother Bitega reported to police in Ntuusi that she was physically assaulted by Tabaro in 2025. He was also accused of malicious damage at the same police station under file number CRB 039/25. He was also separately accused of theft of land agreement in 2022 at Sembabule Police station. They also allege that the RDC has regularly attacked them with a gun and threatened them, especially Bitega who is a full time resident on the contested land. Tabaro became popular after a widely circulated video showed him physically assaulting a woman in Hoima during a by election for the District Woman MP. These, and many other incidents have left the family worried for their lives, praying that something is done to deescalate the situation before lives are lost.
” When a man with such a history of violence constantly threatens you, you can’t take his words for granted. He is armed, he has assaulted us more than once and boasted that nothing can be done to him because he is a big person in the country. What else can he do before authorities take his threats serious?” Lamented Bitega amid tears.
Their message to the President is one of desperation: previous appeals have not stopped the alleged harassment, and they fear that without decisive intervention, the threats and violence could escalate further, with potentially devastating consequences for the family.
The allegations contained in the petition have not been independently established, and Mr Tabaro should be given an opportunity to respond. He remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise by a competent court.
For the family, however, the immediate priority is to secure their mother’s safety, protect vulnerable relatives and restore peace before another incident occurs.
