US court awards family of Ugandan activist Nakajjigo Shs40bn over her wrongful death

Nakajjigo’s budding career as a celebrated human rights activist was cut short in 2020 while on a trip with her husband Lodovic Michaud to Utah’s Arches National Park when she was decapitated by a metal gate that swung into the couple’s car as they exited the park.

The family sued the US government for compensation.

Whereas in their suit, the family sought $140 million in damages over negligence by the national park, the ruling by Federal US judge, Bruce S. Jerkins in Salt City indicated that the court had awarded $9.5 million to Nakajiggo’s husband and $ 1 million to Nakajiggo’s parents – $700,000 to her mother and $350,000 to her father.

The federal judge described the case as unusual since neither the victim nor complainants were US citizens.

“The husband is a French citizen, employed in and a resident of the United States. The parents are citizens of Uganda, a poor and heavily populated African nation, formerly part of the British empire. The deceased, Esther Nakajjigo was a citizen of Uganda, but at the time of her death, a United States resident, newly married to Plaintiff Ludovic Michaud,” Jerkins said.

“What remained of her(Nakajjigo) in the front seat and floor of the car was gruesome and overwhelmingly shocking.”