Administrator-General’s Act

The term “Administrator General” includes a deputy and an assistant Administrator General.

The Administrator General must transmit court‑passed estate accounts and related documents to the Minister (or the Minister's appointee) forthwith; if administration remains incomplete six months after the officer's death, the Administrator General must report the delay to the Minister (or appointee) stating the cause.

Prohibits persons from taking possession of, moving, or otherwise intermeddling with property of a deceased in Uganda without lawful authority; requires reporting if action is taken to preserve property; violations are offences.

When a partner in a partnership dies, the surviving partner(s) must, generally within two months, give the Administrator General a verified statement of the partnership's affairs, produce books and allow inspection if required; failure is an offence punishable by up to six months' imprisonment or a fine up to 1,500 shillings or both.

The Administrator General may require persons, firms or companies who owe money to a deceased (whose estate is administered) to provide a sworn statement within a stated period; failure to comply is an offence punishable by up to three months' imprisonment or a fine of up to two hundred shillings or both.

When a person dies leaving property in Uganda, the local agent may take possession to protect it and must report that action forthwith to the Administrator General; the Administrator General may withhold handing over the property until fees, costs and expenses are paid.

If the agent in charge of property in Uganda belonging to a person not residing in Uganda (or a company not incorporated in Uganda) dies leaving no responsible person, the court may direct the Administrator General to take possession and manage or dispose of the property; the Administrator General is entitled to bring recovery proceedings, apply for letters of administration if he or she thinks fit, and retain fees and reimbursements from the property.

The Administrator General has the power to dispose of property of an estate under administration, subject to any wishes of the deceased's next of kin, and may do so wholly or in part by public auction or private treaty as deemed in the estate's best interests.

Administrator General must make inventory and keep accounts.

Administrator General must publish a notice calling creditors to file claims at least one month after publication; may require proof of claims and may distribute assets and must pay residue to beneficiaries after debts and expenses.

Administrator General must publish a Gazette notice for unclaimed balances; after two years from that notice the Administrator General must pay remaining unclaimed amounts into the Consolidated Fund, barring claims; the Minister may distribute amounts and existing legal proceedings instituted before the two‑year expiry are preserved.

Section establishes the Administrator General and agents, grants the Minister and Administrator General powers to appoint agents, allows delegation of powers, entitles the Administrator General and deputies/agents to appear in court, requires certain agents to find security, and provides that agents may be remunerated.

Administrator General must pay all such fees into the Consolidated Fund; the Minister may prescribe fee rates; the Administrator General may reimburse payments and may employ outside assistance charged to the estate.

Grants power to incur expenditure for acts necessary for the proper care and management of property of any estate in the charge of the holder.

Creditors or claimants who bring suits against the Administrator General must pay the costs of the suit unless, at least one month before suing, they applied in writing to the Administrator General with particulars and evidence; if their suit is decreed in their favour, they are only entitled to payment out of the deceased's assets equally and rateably with other creditors (subject to a carve-out for creditors within sections 280 or 282 of the Succession Act).

The Administrator General is entitled to charge ordinary profit costs when the court orders costs to be paid other than from the deceased person's estate being administered.

The Administrator General of Uganda may apply to the High Court to obtain an order allowing collection and handover of estate assets in Uganda to the Administrator General of Kenya, Tanzania or Malawi, subject to request and reciprocal legislation, and upon the order the Administrator General gains rights to collect and is discharged from liability when handing over assets.

The Administrator General may pay the remaining estate to the person holding the foreign grant (after debts and funeral/administration expenses) or, if domiciled abroad, transfer it to that State’s consular officer; the Administrator General incurs no liability for such payment.

If the Administrator General receives estate assets that were located outside Uganda when the deceased died, those assets must be treated the same as assets within Uganda, subject to any written estate duty law.

The High Court may appoint a parent, another suitable person, or the public trustee to receive a minor’s share; the Administrator General may pay that share to the appointee, and where the share does not exceed ten thousand shillings the Administrator General may in his or her discretion pay or transfer it to such persons; the recipient's receipt is a full and complete discharge to the Administrator General.

Persons beneficially interested in immovable property vested in the Administrator General may petition the court for partition; the court may appoint arbitrators, and the arbitrators' award, when signed and confirmed by the court, vests allotted property.

The Administrator General is exempt from verifying petitions except by signature; others competent may verify petitions; reports by agents or required reporters are treated as the Administrator General’s knowledge; and courts may not require the Administrator General to give bonds or security when letters of administration are granted.

The Administrator General and agents are not personally liable for goods or acts done in performance of duties except when they had actual notice of third-party property before sale or when acts were wilful or grossly negligent; sale proceeds must be paid to proven owners unless already applied to debts or distributed while unaware.

The court may, on application, give directions to the Administrator General and decide disputes concerning estates administered by the Administrator General; applications may be made by the Administrator General or any person interested; the Administrator General (or agent) has final power to decide disputes for small estates (gross value not exceeding ten thousand shillings) but may allow or seek appeals to the High Court.

The Administrator General may administer oaths and may examine any willing person on oath to satisfy himself or herself about questions of fact for the purposes of this Act.

Anyone who, during an examination authorized by the Act, makes a false statement on oath which they know or believe to be false (or do not believe to be true) is treated as having given false evidence and is liable on conviction to the penalties for perjury.

The Administrator General must file in court accounts and an affidavit after completing administration of an estate, following 14 days' notice; a certificate by the taxing officer or a judge that the accounts are correct discharges the Administrator General.

The Administrator General may pass interim accounts prior to completion of the administration, on giving notice as provided in section 33.

The Government's revenues must pay sums to discharge liabilities the Administrator General would personally owe, except for liabilities that could not have been averted by reasonable diligence, in which case neither the Administrator General nor the revenues are liable.

The Succession Act does not override the rights, duties and privileges of the Administrator General under this Act.

If, after administering an estate, the net balance for heirs abroad is less than five hundred shillings, the Administrator General may distribute the balance to entitled persons and remit it by bank draft, registered money order or postal order.

The Minister may make, revoke, amend or vary rules for carrying out this Act, and such rules may provide for accounts, forms, fees and agents’ remuneration.

The Act applies to estates not yet committed to the Administrator General before commencement and, as far as practicable, to those already committed; and the Act must not affect certain distribution or intestacy provisions in regulations under the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Act.

Agents in the area where a death or property is found must promptly investigate and report deaths and property particulars to the Administrator General; the Administrator General may apply for letters of administration, is deemed to have a preferential right to letters of administration (which may be waived), may take possession and realise small estates (up to twenty thousand shillings) and must keep records of estates.

The Administrator General may transfer the net balance and any remaining property of a deceased enemy's estate to the custodian of enemy property of Uganda upon completion of administration; the custodian's receipt is a valid discharge in favour of the Administrator General against all persons.

An applicant must produce to the court proof that the Administrator General declined to administer the estate or proof of having given the Administrator General fourteen clear days’ written notice before a grant is made.

The Administrator General must publish notice of intention to apply for letters of administration in the Gazette at least fourteen days before applying; the High Court may grant letters and may dispense with the notice if it is satisfied delay would risk loss or expense.

A person who would be entitled to administer an estate may apply to the High Court to revoke a grant or order in favour of the Administrator General and obtain probate or letters of administration, but no application may be made until seven days after written notice to the Administrator General; the High Court may revoke and regrant subject to conditions and time limits.

The Administrator General may apply to the court for letters of administration within one month from the death of the deceased.

The court may, in certain small-estate cases, grant a certificate enabling a person to administer the deceased's estate instead of granting probate or letters of administration.