A shocking DNA revelation has sent ripples through Ugandan society, shaking the image of one of the country’s most prominent academic families. Professor Badru Kateregga, founder of Kampala University, has learned through a court-ordered paternity test that one of the three children he raised with his estranged wife, Ms. Shubaiha Jolly Kateregga, is not biologically his.
The test, commissioned by Grade One Magistrate His Worship Opio Charles Kangira at the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court, confirmed that while the couple’s twin children are indeed Kateregga’s, the youngest child is not.
The revelation has stunned many — not just because of the betrayal it implies, but because of who it involves. For decades, Professor Kateregga has been a towering figure in Uganda’s academic world. He was seen as a man who built his legacy on discipline, intellect, and family. That legacy is now being publicly tested in one of the most emotionally charged court battles in recent memory.
Those close to the professor describe him as heartbroken. Friends and associates say he had no reason to doubt the paternity of any of his children and had devoted himself fully to all three. The DNA result, therefore, has not only upended his understanding of his family but struck a deep personal blow.
The Kateregga divorce saga has been simmering for over a decade. In 2013, the first cracks became public when the professor accused Ms. Jolly of domestic abuse — claims that included attempted poisoning and efforts to wrest control of Kampala University from him. Ms. Jolly denied the accusations, attributing her husband’s injuries to complications from a prior surgery at International Hospital Kampala.
Since then, the dispute has unfolded in waves, blending legal, personal, and business grievances into a messy and highly public separation. Now, with DNA evidence in the spotlight, the emotional stakes have escalated even further.
Ms. Jolly has long claimed she endured infidelity and mistreatment during their marriage, but the revelation that one child is not the professor’s has shifted public sympathy — even among those who once viewed her as the aggrieved party. While some argue that both partners failed each other in different ways, the concealment of paternity has emerged as the most jarring betrayal of all.
“This isn’t just a scandal,” said a family law expert following the case. “It’s a complete unraveling of trust, identity, and legacy — with real consequences for everyone involved, especially the children.”
What began as a celebrated union in 2012 has now become a cautionary tale, playing out in courtrooms and headlines alike. It has exposed the quiet dysfunction that can lie beneath even the most polished public images and has sparked fresh conversations about paternity, marital honesty, and the burden children bear when adults fail to resolve their conflicts with integrity.
As court proceedings continue, the fallout remains deeply personal. For Professor Kateregga, the damage is not only legal or reputational — it’s emotional. And for the children, especially the one at the center of the DNA storm, the emotional cost may linger long after the legal battle ends.
