For over a decade, Professor Badru Kateregga believed he was father to three beautiful children, a source of joy in his late years and the centre of his quiet family life.
But that peace was shattered recently in a courtroom when a DNA test revealed that the youngest of the three children he had with his estranged wife, Shubaiha Jolly Kateregga, isn't biologically his.
The 76-year-old professor, a respected educationist and founder of Kampala University, is said to be devastated.
“He doted on them. That boy was his favourite,” a source close to the family shared. “He would carry him around the compound, even when his back hurt. You could see it was a grandfather’s kind of love, pure and full of pride.”
Professor Kateregga and Shubaiha, 36, had been married for 15 years under Islamic rites. But the cracks in their union widened last year when the professor left their home, claiming he needed space to reconnect with children from a previous relationship. Tensions escalated when he accused his wife of assault and of trying to wrest control of his university empire.
In response, Shubaiha approached the court, demanding financial support and school fees for their three children. It was then that Professor Kateregga, weighed down by suspicion and whispers from confidants, asked for a DNA test.
The results were made public this week in court — confirming that only two of the children were biologically his. The youngest, who the professor had reportedly grown most attached to, was not.
Inside the courtroom, he sat in silence. Witnesses say the professor lowered his head and didn’t say a word after the verdict was read. For a man who had built an entire institution on trust, mentorship, and fatherhood — the blow was more than just scientific; it was deeply personal.
Shubaiha, however, was quick to push back. Speaking defiantly to reporters, she claimed the DNA process was flawed.
“I don’t trust those results,” she said. “There’s something not right. I’ve asked my lawyer to appeal and I want a new test done in a trusted international lab in the U.S.”
According to her, she would never have agreed to the tests if she had anything to hide. “If I wasn’t sure, why would I say yes to the test?” she asked, visibly angry and emotional.
Their story, once a private family affair, has now become public theatre in Uganda — drawing reactions from citizens torn between sympathy and outrage.
“He’s an old man,” one woman tweeted. “She shouldn’t have put him through this at his age. It’s cruel.”
But others are not so quick to pick sides, pointing out that both husband and wife have traded accusations for years — from alleged poisonings to claims of cheating and manipulation.
Their bitter divorce battle is still ongoing, and with Shubaiha now demanding a fresh DNA evaluation abroad, the case may stretch even further.
Still, for Professor Kateregga, no amount of legal appeal can undo the emotional scar.
“He said to me once, ‘Whether he’s mine or not, I’ve already loved him like a father,’” the family source said, pausing before adding, “But love doesn’t always protect you from heartbreak.”
