The results were announced on Thursday at the Uganda Police Headquarters in Naguru by officials from the Government Analytical Laboratory and the Uganda Police Forensic Services Laboratory.
Only four of the 25 people who underwent DNA testing have been confirmed as the biological children of the late Ugandan music legend Paul Kafeero, bringing an end to years of uncertainty over his paternity.
The results were announced on Thursday at the Uganda Police Headquarters in Naguru by officials from the Government Analytical Laboratory and the Uganda Police Forensic Services Laboratory.
The exercise followed a court order allowing the exhumation of Kafeero’s remains to obtain DNA samples for comparison with those of people claiming to be his children.
- Thomas Kafeero Schwarzenegger
- Simon Peter Kafeero
- Benedicto Kafeero
- Elizabeth Nagawa
The remaining 21 people who submitted DNA samples were not confirmed as Kafeero’s biological children.
Those tested included Thomas Kafeero, Simon Peter Kafeero, John Kafeero, Benedicto Kafeero, Aroon Nagawa, Elizabeth Nagawa, Phillip, Tonny, John Mark, Meddi, Godfrey Muwanguzi, Ssendi Shafik, Katumba Eric, John Martin Kafeero, Paul Ssentongo, Kate Nalukwago, Margaret Nakafeero, Nagawa, Grace Nalukwago, Leticia Nalukwago, Rehema Namulindwa, Tana Birungio, Joan Mirembe, Noelena Ssali and Mukiibi Kafeero.
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The announcement was overseen by Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara, who initiated the DNA verification process while serving as Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The results sparked emotional scenes. Some people burst into tears after learning they were not biologically related to the late singer, while the four confirmed children celebrated the outcome.
Vincent Mende, Kafeero’s brother, on behald of the family, thanked Barugahara for pursuing the matter.
“I thank Minister Balaam for the good job. I approached him on this matter and he took it up. Kafeero started his own burial ground. I have seen people upset about me, but this was a tough issue. He cannot rest in peace when his family is not at peace. I ask the children to be calm. We are not here to fight over the late Paul Kafeero’s properties but to bring together his real family,” Mende said.
Family friend James Ssenkubuge urged those disappointed by the results to remain calm.
“We are here for the good of Paul Kafeero. Those who are upset, I ask for calmness. We want him to rest in peace. This situation should also serve as a lesson to other men and families out there to make better preparations for your families before you die,” he said.
Barugahara thanked the Uganda Police and the Government Analytical Laboratory for conducting the exercise.
“I thank Uganda Police and their analytical lab for the work they have done.
“Paul Kafeero was a dear friend of mine. The kids who will be found to be Kafeero’s children, we are your uncles and we shall continue to support you.
“If you know you have more than one child, test them before you go to heaven. There are many labs. Get your kids tested so you don’t leave it with the task of exhuming your body as we have done in this case.
“Samples of Kafeero will remain in the lab’s database, and any child who comes later is free to get tested as well to confirm whether they are his biological child,” he said.
Andrew K. Mubiru of the Uganda Police Forensic Services Laboratory said the DNA analysis followed a court order authorising the exhumation of Kafeero’s remains.
He said the exercise was supervised by Assistant Inspector of Police Dr Moses Byaruhanga. Samples were collected from the left and right femoral bones, hair, jaw and skull before DNA profiling was carried out.
Paul Kafeero remains one of Uganda’s most celebrated Kadongo Kamu musicians. He died in 2007, but questions over the identity of his biological children persisted for years, leading to legal proceedings that culminated in the court-approved DNA tests.
