Africa-Press – Uganda. Mary Karooro Okurut, a former minister, senior presidential advisor, and one of Uganda’s most celebrated female authors, has died.
The news was broken on Monday by her long-time friend and fellow politician Margaret Muhanga, who posted on X:
“With so much pain, grief & sorrow, I announce the death of my ‘bosom buddy’ Mary Karooro Okurut. My literature teacher, my mentor, my very close buddy, my world, my all. So painful to imagine. This is a sting I’ll never forget.”
Ms Muhanga did not say the cause of death and it remained unclear at the time of publishing this.
Karooro, 70, was a distinguished figure in both Uganda’s political and literary circles. Born on December 8, 1954, in Bushenyi District, she attended Bweranyangi Girls’ Senior Secondary School and Trinity College Nabbingo before graduating from Makerere University with a BA and MA in Literature, as well as a Diploma in Education.
She lectured in literature at Makerere University for over a decade before entering public service, initially as Press Secretary to the Vice-President (1994–1996) and later as Press Secretary to President Museveni (1999–2004).
Karooro served as the Bushenyi District Woman MP from 2004 to 2021 and held several ministerial portfolios, including Information and National Guidance, Gender, Labour and Social Development, National Security, and General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister.
In 2021, she was appointed Senior Presidential Advisor on Public Relations.
Beyond politics, she was a pioneering voice in Ugandan literature, founding the Uganda Women Writers’ Association (FEMRITE), which nurtured a generation of female authors, including Caine Prize winner Monica Arac de Nyeko.
Her published works include the novels The Invisible Weevil (1998) and The Official Wife (2003), as well as children’s books and anthologies such as A Woman’s Voice (1998), a landmark collection of short stories by Ugandan women writers.
Karooro was widely respected for her advocacy on gender equality, education, and the promotion of Ugandan literature.
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