Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema, a towering figure in Uganda’s political history and one of the country’s earliest female lawmakers, has died at 96.
Her family confirmed her passing in a short message shared on Sunday: “With deep sorrow, I am informing you about the demise of Mama Canon Rhoda Kalema who has passed on this morning from Nairobi Hospital.”
Kalema, who was widely known as the “Mother of Parliament,” died in the early hours, according to a statement from the Buganda Kingdom. Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum.
She was born on May 10, 1929, to Martin Luther Nsibirwa, a former Katikkiro (prime minister) of the Buganda Kingdom, and Veronica Namuddu. She studied at Gayaza High School and King’s College Budo before traveling to Scotland for training in social work.
Her life spanned Uganda’s colonial period, its struggle for independence, brutal dictatorships, and periods of reconstruction. In each, Kalema held firm—often at personal cost.
Buganda’s current Katikkiro, Charles Peter Mayiga, described her as “a symbol of strength and resilience.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mukyala Rhoda Kalema,” he said. “She embodied the dignity and courage of a noble woman and politician.”
He recalled her years of quiet strength after the assassination of her husband, William Kalema, during Idi Amin’s rule. “She was the lamp of the Nsibirwa household. I sympathise with her children and extended family. Rest in peace, Maama, Ssenga, Jjajja.”
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa also offered tribute. “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Hon. Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “She was a woman of unique character and valour—down-to-earth and amiable.”
“May the life she lived and her contributions to this country continue to inspire us and generations to come.”
Kalema entered politics when few women dared. She was politically active even before independence and later joined the Uganda Patriotic Movement, a decision that led to multiple arrests and imprisonment during the turbulent post-Amin era.
She was one of just two women appointed to the National Consultative Council, the transitional body after Amin’s fall.
Between 1989 and 1991, she served as Deputy Minister of Public Service. In 1994, she was elected to represent Kiboga District in the Constituent Assembly that drafted Uganda’s 1995 Constitution. She mentored many of the women now prominent in Ugandan public life.
Among those she influenced is Speaker of Parliament Anita Among. “It is with a heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of our mother, mentor, and trailblazer for women in leadership,” Among posted.
“Through her boldness and determination, she opened the doors of Parliament to women leaders, mentored many notable female leaders, and made tremendous contributions to our legislative process.”
“May her memories continue to inspire us to serve our country better, and may her gentle soul rest in eternal peace.”
In 2023, Kalema hosted Tayebwa and fellow activist Miria Matembe at her home in Kibuli. The visit, her last known public political engagement, was a moment to share her reflections on service, education, and women’s place in public life.
Her personal resilience was often inseparable from her political legacy. Widowed by state violence, she raised her children alone while continuing to agitate for justice and gender equality.
Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa has often cited Kalema as a mentor. Organizations such as FOWODE recognized her work in women’s civic participation as early as 1996. In 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Pepperdine University in the United States.
In 2021, Kalema published her memoir, My Life Is But a Weaving, offering a candid, textured account of her life through Uganda’s most turbulent decades.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and a legacy interwoven with the history of Uganda itself.
