Leila Kitimbo Kasiira Balunywa (AKA Laura Kibuuka), Restless, Even in Death!

Was Leila murdered, did she commit suicide or was her death an accident, who benefits from her death? Was it greed and love for money that denied Leila a peaceful final resting place by her father’s side?

The Late Leila Kitimbo Kasiira

Ali Balunywa in Kampala

Following my article of 13 January 2013 on my blog (http://balunywa.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-balunywa-to-be-forcefully-buried-in.html) about the death of my niece Leila, a lot has been going on; we the immediate family of Leila were denied the opportunity of giving her a decent send off at our family burial grounds in Iganga where her father; the late Isaac Kasiira lies.

The Newspaper item which reported the Late Leila as daughter of late Kasiira 

Mr. and Mrs. Kibuuka, the foster parents of Leila took her with them to the United States where they emigrated 8 or so years ago. Originally they were known as the Sserunkumas in Uganda, however, they could have changed their family name to Kibuuka while seeking admission to the United States or while regularizing their stay in the country. Unfortunately, our niece Leila who it is alleged was illegally registered as their biological daughter was also forced to change her names from Leila Kitimbo Kasiira to Laura Nakamya Kibuuka in tandem with the new family name.

Fast forward, 15 January 2013, Mr. and Mrs. Sserunkuma (aka Kibuuka) arrive in Uganda to prepare for the burial of their foster daughter. 

The Balunywa family thanks the Ugandan community in the US who raised enough money to transport the body from Boston to Uganda and tickets for the parents. None of the parents in their wisdom bothered to inform the Balunywa family about the arrangements.

However, before the Sserunkumas arrived in the country, our family had made contact with the relatives of Sserunkuma over the burial of Leila. Bishop Sekadde and Mr. Kiyingi were the leading discussants on this subject. They agreed with us that culture wise; there was no way Leila could be buried at her maternal parents place! 

Leila’s sisters and brothers thought it was an abomination to bury their sister at their maternal uncle’s place yet we the paternal relatives had been ready to let Leila rest by her father’s side at our family cemetery in Iganga!

A few days after the Serunkumas/Kibuukas arrived in the country, they managed to convince their relatives (but not children) the importance of burying their niece at his ancestral home in Bukuya, Mubende District. According to the children, the Kibuuka’s wanted to prove to the American government that Leila was their biological daughter by burying her at their place and also most probably to benefit from whatever compensation there might be from the Amtrak rail company or insurance companies! 

We were actually surprised at the speed with which most of the relatives changed position over the place of burial of Leila! Even Sam Balagadde, one of the authors of the article in the New Vision of 6 January 2013, who stated clearly the parentage of Leila as being the late Margaret Nabbosa and late Isaac Kasiira Balunywa and not the daughter of Diana and Sam Kibuuka of Watertown, was easily compromised by the Serunkumas to the point of wanting to beat up Leila’s brothers who were protesting. 

In most Uganda cultures, it is unheard of to bury an individual at his/her maternal parent’s place. The Serunkuma’s seemed to have used money and trickery to convince their people. 

They even came up with a story that 4 different men had claimed Leila as their child! Yet before her mother died when she was 3 years old, she clearly identified the late Isaac Kasiira as the father and even accepted the names she was given from Isaac’s ancestry; Leila Kitimbo Kasiira. Kitimbo is the name of our mother. With this story, they managed to convince the head of our family to give up any claim on the body in spite of his earlier conviction now that circumstances had changed.

The Sserunkumas were so determined to bury Leila at their place that they even got a lawyer to argue their case and protect their interests. The questions on every one’s mind are; 

Why the insistence? 

Why go against the norms of society? 

Why refuse to do a DNA test to establish the real father of Leila as we had suggested? 

Why did the brothers and sisters of Leila boycott the burial?  

Traditionally, should such a thing happen, a person is buried at the edge of the land. He/she is not buried in the traditional cemetery. So, why would the Sserunkumas isolate Leila from the rest of the family even in death, yet she was assured of being buried next to her father in Iganga?

If these questions can be answered, maybe we can solve the mystery of the death of Leila.

Is it that if the true parentage of Leila were established, the immigration status of the Sserunkumas would be affected?

Is it the hefty compensation package that is usually given to the next of kin by the railroad service or insurance as it was rumored?

We ardently hope that the Boston Police will continue investigating the death of Leila until the truth comes out.  

 Below find some photos of the late leila and her friends