The family of Kampala tycoon Bulaimu Muwanga Kibirige aka BMK, who died last month, has named his eldest son, Ali Kibirige, as heir to his estate and chairman of the family business, BMK Holdings.

The family also named four trustees to help the heir run his father’s vast enterprise, in an event that was witnessed by a number of affluent Muslim clerics and businessmen at the family home in Naguru, Kampala.

Sheikh Muhammad Lunanoba, who introduced the heir and trustees to friends of the family and business partners, said they (trustees) shall also help the family allay conflicts or misunderstandings.

The trustees named include Mansoor Matovu alias Yanga, Kaddu Kiberu, Haruna Kalule Kibirige and Sarah Bbumba.

“I will seek guidance and clarity on matters that will enable me to manage my late dad’s business. I will always work with my brothers and sisters to see that our BMK legacy keeps growing,” Kibirige said shortly after being named head of the family business.

BMK succumbed to cancer on September 10, aged 67, at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, after battling with the disease for seven years.

Yanga said the trustees will work with the family to protect the legacy and wealth of the late Kibirige “because of the trust he placed in us and the years we worked with him”.

The National Resistance Movement national vice-chairperson, Moses Kigongo, lauded BMK for being faithful and truthful in all business ventures, which enabled him to have many friends both in government and the private sector.

Haruna Kalule Kibirige, the brother to the deceased, said his brother was tough but likeable.

“My brother was a tough person, but it helped him to manage his business venture properly,” he said.

WHO WAS BMK?

BMK was a self-made tycoon who rose from rubble in Matanga, Masaka district, to grace after dropping out of school.

From a humble beginning, he drew his name on the tables of business, as he rose to build Hotel Africana Kampala with branches in Moroto and Lusaka in Zambia.

He also had other business interests in construction, real estate, property development, manufacturing, hospitality, imports trading and heavy machinery spanning Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda. He also owned a chain of spare parts outlets in Uganda, Dubai (UAE), Japan and Zambia.

According to his book, My Story of Building a Fortune in Africa, BMK traded in secondhand clothes and motorcycles from Japan, before venturing into the hotel business.