Former minister and senior presidential adviser on public relations Mary Karooro Okurut has died at the age of 71, Minister Margaret Muhanga confirmed Monday.
Born on July 12, 1954, Karooro was married to the late Stanislas Okurut, himself a former minister under presidents Milton Obote and Yoweri Museveni.
The news first broke on X, formerly Twitter, when Muhanga posted:
“With so much pain, grief & sorrow, I announce the death of my ‘bosom buddy’ Mary Karooro Okurut,” she wrote. “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. May the angels receive her in glory.”
By press time, Lifestyle Uganda could not independently confirm the circumstances of her death.
Close family friends say the former Cabinet minister had been unwell in recent months.
Karooro had been attempting a political comeback after losing the Bushenyi District Woman MP seat in 2021. She had previously served in several senior government roles, including as Cabinet Minister in charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister from June 2016.
From March 2015 to June 2016, she was Minister for National Security. Between 2012 and 2015, she headed the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
A teacher and author before entering politics, Karooro began life in Bushenyi District. She attended Bweranyangi Primary and Bweranyangi Girls’ Secondary schools before completing high school at Trinity College Nabbingo.
She joined Makerere University in 1974 and graduated three years later with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Literature in 1981, and a Diploma in Education in 1982, all from Makerere.
She began lecturing in the university’s Literature Department in 1981, holding that post until 1993.
From 1994 to 1996, she served as press secretary to Uganda’s vice president. She later joined the Education Service Commission as commissioner before being appointed press secretary to the president from 1999 to 2004.
Karooro entered elective politics in 2006, winning a parliamentary seat.
She was also a prolific writer, publishing works including The Official Wife, The Switch, The Man Who Ate His Eye, The Curse of the Sacred Cow, The Invisible Weevil and The Adventurous Sisters.
