
KAMPALA – A 52-year-old widow from Bunamwela Village, Budaka District, is living in destitution after a compensation package meant to rebuild her life was allegedly diverted into her lawyer’s bank account, leaving her with nothing but unanswered questions and a deepening sense of betrayal.

Christine Kawono, who lost her husband, had pinned her hopes on a Shs 225 million compensation from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) for land taken for road projects. Instead of moving into a completed home, she is struggling to survive in an unfinished house and relies on digging in other people’s gardens to feed herself.

The heart of the matter lies in a shocking procedural failure. Ms. Kawono had provided her lawyer, Yoona Wesiire, with her bank account details (A/C No: 320454500855) to receive the funds. However, in a move that has raised serious legal and ethical red flags, the massive payment was made directly into an account belonging to Mr. Wesiire himself.
Despite attempts to report the issue, Ms. Kawono says she has found no justice.
The case took a new twist following public attention. In a recent development, Lawyer Wesiire presented a receipt purportedly showing a payment of Shs 195 million to Ms. Kawono, dated 19th September 2024.
This document, however, has done little to allay concerns and has instead ignited a fresh wave of skepticism. The receipt directly contradicts Mr. Wesiire’s own statements in an interview with the Daily Monitor on July 19, 2025, where he claimed the matter was “handled by court & police” and made no mention of any multi-million shilling payment having been made to his client nearly a year prior.
Key Questions Unanswered
The emergence of the receipt has prompted three critical questions that Mr. Wesiire has yet to address publicly:
- The Missing Millions: Why did the lawyer only pay Shs 195 million, leaving a staggering Shs 30 million deficit from the original Shs 225 million compensation? What accounts for this discrepancy?
- The Contradiction in Timeline: Why did Mr. Wesiire claim the case was still with the courts and police in July 2025 if he had, according to the receipt, already settled the bulk of the money with his client in September 2024?
- The Anonymous Receipt: The presented receipt raises authenticity concerns, as the signatories are unnamed. Furthermore, questions abound over whose thumbprint is on the document and under what circumstances it was obtained.
Public pressure is now mounting on Lawyer Yoona Wesiire to provide a full and public account of the events. As Christine Kawono continues to wait for the justice and financial security she was promised, the public is left asking: if his claims are true, why the secrecy and contradictions?
Efforts to get a further comment from Mr. Wesiire were unsuccessful by the time of this publication.