KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan lawyer and businessman Deux Tibingana, the founder of Rivonia Suites, has announced that he has filed a petition seeking the dissolution of his marriage, alleging that his estranged wife excluded him from a hotel business he says he established and financed over several years.
Tibingana disclosed the development in a lengthy statement published on his 49th birthday, saying he was speaking publicly because details of the court filing were likely to emerge through other channels.
“I am sharing this openly today because a third-party leak of a dissolution of marriage that has been filed in court is inevitable,” he wrote.
“I won’t allow that. Not this time round.”
The businessman described the day as both a personal milestone and the end of a long chapter in his life.
“I am starting a new life,” he said.
Claims over Rivonia Suites ownership and control
In the statement, Tibingana alleged that he invested more than Shs800 million of his own funds in establishing Rivonia Suites and relied on income from his legal practice to sustain the business during periods of financial difficulty.
He said his wife was initially involved in managing the hotel before eventually assuming full operational control.
According to Tibingana, he transferred the business registration into her name in 2019 for administrative convenience but later discovered that new bank accounts had allegedly been opened without his knowledge.
“She secretly used the transfer to open completely new bank accounts where my signature was no longer required, systematically cutting me out of the revenue stream,” he alleged.
The claims have not been independently verified, and no court has made findings regarding ownership, management or financial control of the business.
Alleged lack of financial accountability
Tibingana further claimed that he has not received financial reports or accounting records relating to the hotel’s operations since 2018.
He alleged that he has also been denied access to the premises.
“Since 2018, I have never seen a single line of accountability,” he said.
“I have absolutely no idea where those massive funds have been going.”
He also alleged that he financed another business venture operated by his wife and later learned that it had been sold.
No documentary evidence supporting those allegations was included in the public statement.
Marriage breakdown
According to Tibingana, the marriage effectively broke down in late 2023 following disagreements over family and financial matters.
He said attempts at reconciliation through counselling and family mediation did not succeed.
The businessman also alleged that he was excluded from several important family decisions, including events involving his children.
Those claims have not been independently verified.
Court process expected
Tibingana said he decided to seek dissolution of the marriage after efforts to resolve disagreements outside court failed.
“I communicated that I would file for divorce and settle the issues through court,” he said.
At the time of publication, the divorce petition had not been publicly released, and court records relating to the matter were not immediately available for independent review.
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His estranged wife had not publicly responded to the allegations.
Under Ugandan law, divorce proceedings and disputes involving matrimonial property are typically handled by the Family Division of the High Court, which determines issues relating to marriage dissolution, asset ownership and distribution of matrimonial property.
The claims made by Tibingana remain allegations and have not been tested in court.
Any determination regarding ownership of Rivonia Suites, financial accountability, matrimonial property rights or the circumstances surrounding the marriage breakdown will ultimately depend on evidence presented before the court and responses from the parties involved.
Efforts to obtain a response from Tibingana’s estranged wife were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
