Uganda Today: Former Minister Mary Karooro Okurut Passes On
By Uganda Today Reporter
Published: August 11, 2025
KAMPALA – Former Minister for Information and National Guidance, Mary Karooro Okurut, has died, Uganda Today has confirmed through close family friends. The veteran politician, educator, and prolific author reportedly passed away on Monday morning, August 11, 2025.
Details surrounding the cause of her death remain scanty as the family has not yet released an official statement. However, friends and colleagues who spoke to Uganda Today described her passing as a significant loss to the nation.
Karooro Okurut, 69, served in several key roles under President Yoweri Museveni’s government, including as Minister for Information and National Guidance, and later as Minister in Charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister. She was also the founding spokesperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and a long-serving Member of Parliament for Bushenyi District.
Beyond her political career, Karooro was widely respected in Uganda’s literary and academic circles. She authored several books and was a known advocate for girl-child education and women’s empowerment, having once served as Executive Director of the Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO).
Messages of condolence have already started pouring in from across the political and social spectrum, with many Ugandans taking to social media to express their grief and pay tribute to her legacy.
“She was a brilliant woman of substance. A nationalist who served her country with distinction. Uganda has lost a mother figure,” one family friend remarked.
Funeral arrangements are yet to be announced, and Uganda Today will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
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