Loice Natukunda: Gen Otafiire’s young and stylish wife who can’t stand still

Loice Natkukunda, the young, beautiful, but ambitious wife of Gen Kahinda Otafiire, who seems eager to wield the power her husband once did

Loice Natukunda Otafiire is young, stylish, beautiful, and ambitious.

She is also the wife of Gen Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of Internal Affairs and a revered NRA bush war figure.

From her posts on social media, there is no doubt that Loice is deeply religious. Otafiire, by contrast, has on several occasions publicly questioned the existence of God.

Yet despite this spiritual difference, Loice speaks of him with warmth and admiration, often fondly referring to the once fiery general as “my lion”.

Indeed, there was a time when Otafiire roared like one.

That was in the late 80s, 90s, and early 2000s when his sharp tongue and combative style made him a formidable presence in the political arena.

One of the toughest assignments for any journalist was to interview Otafiire.

But age and experience appear to have softened him. Today, Otafiire, who made 75 years last December, is more likely to smile at critics than lash out.

Yet if Otafiire’s roar has quietened, Loice’s is just beginning.

She commands attention differently.

Playful, energetic, and seemingly unafraid of the spotlight, Loice has become an increasingly visible figure in Uganda’s public life.

Her restless energy is striking.

Loice moves with the urgency of a toddler who can’t stand still. She appears determined to leave a mark.

At the centre of that ambition is her organisation, Elevate Her Uganda, through which she says she is on a mission to empower girls and women across the country.

Her growing influence is hard to ignore. Recently, she organised a workshop for newly elected female legislators, an event that drew some of the most seasoned women in Ugandan politics.

Among those in attendance were Rebecca Kadaga, Amelia Kyambadde, and Brig Charity Bainababo.

The event quickly gained traction online, trending across social media platforms. Whether by design or instinct, Loice appears to understand the power of visibility in shaping influence.

Otafiire’s late wife, Winfred Karungi, was also modern and educated, having attended Nabisunsa Girls’ School in the 1980s. Married to the general in 1995, she raised their three children largely away from the public glare.

Though she occasionally joined him on the campaign trail, she embodied a more traditional role, allowing Otafiire to dominate the political stage.

Loice, whom Otafiire married in October 2014 in a traditional ceremony, represents a different generation and a different approach. She is said to be in her 30s, and by some estimates, she could be more than 35 years younger than Otafiire.

Otafiire (left) married Loice in 2014, seven years after the death of his wife, Winfred Karungi

That’s why some say she has a rare burst of energy that has made her visible, vocal, and politically aware.

During the last campaigns, she actively mobilised support for both her husband and President Museveni, the NRM presidential candidate.

Beyond campaign politics, she has carved out her own space online, where she engages followers on issues ranging from women’s health to economic empowerment.

In one post on X in October 2025, she invited discussion on urban dairy farming, asking how small landowners in cities could turn limited space into income-generating ventures.

It is this mix of optimism, visibility, and ambition that has led some observers to speculate that Loice could one day seek political office herself.

As the wife of one of Uganda’s influential political figures, Loice, by osmosis, holds some power. However, unlike the spouses of other powerful men, she seems eager to chart her own path.

“Women don’t need charity. They need hope. They need someone to remind them that it’s possible so they can work for a better future,” she wrote on her X handle last year.