The family of the late Supreme Court Justice, Stella Arach Amoko, has filed a petition with the judiciary, expressing their concerns over the decision made by her husband's family to bury her remains in Adjumani district.
Justice Amoko, a member of the Judiciary for 26 years, passed away at the age of 69 in Nakasero Hospital over the weekend.
The controversy surrounding the burial place emerged when the family of her husband, Ambassador Idule Amoko, submitted a letter to the judiciary, requesting that she be laid to rest in Adjumani district.
Consequently, two conflicting burial programs were issued, with one indicating Nebbi as the burial site, and the other suggesting Adjumani.
In their petition dated June 19, 2023, addressed to Dr. Pius Bigirimana, the Permanent Secretary of the judiciary, the family members, including the deceased's biological sister, brother, and daughters, expressed their heartfelt desire for Justice Amoko to be buried in Nebbi. Specifically, they requested her burial to take place at Jukiya Hill Ward, Juba cell, where her father was laid to rest.
"This humble petition represents the biological family of the late Honorable Lady Justice Stella Arach Amoko, contesting the alleged decision to bury our beloved sister and mother in Adjumani. We beseech your honorable office to reconsider this decision and allow our late mother and sister to be interred in Nebbi, her true home, and where her father rests," read a part of the petition.
The family argued that the deceased had expressed her wish to be buried in Nebbi, near her father's grave, prior to her passing. They emphasized that during her time at Nakasero Hospital, she had invited her biological brother, Picho Godfrey, from Nebbi, and openly communicated her desire to rest in Nebbi.
The family stated, "As evidence, while still at Nakasero Hospital, the deceased invited her biological brother, Mr. Picho Godfrey, to her side and expressed her explicit wish to be buried in Nebbi."
Furthermore, the family stated that the children of the deceased had no connection to Adjumani, their paternal ancestral home, and had never been acquainted with the area or shown any property there.
In an unrelated development, Kaal Ker Kwaro Jonam Kapita, the cultural institution of the Jonam community, released a statement on June 19, 2023, urging the judiciary to honor Justice Arach's wishes to be laid to rest at the royal burial grounds in Kaal Ragem, located in Pakwach district.
Reports, albeit unconfirmed, suggest that the decision regarding Justice Arach's burial was made during a meeting held at the president's office, which excluded the children and other relatives, causing discontent among them.
The outcome of this petition remains to be seen as the legal process unfolds.