A House in mourning: Eight MPs who have died before end of 11th Parliament

Death has cast a long shadow over Uganda’s 11th Parliament, cutting short the lives of several legislators while still in active service and leaving their constituencies in mourning.

As the Parliamentary term ends on May 12, 2026, at least eight legislators have so far died, a sobering reflection of a House marked by repeated loss.

The recent death of Helen Nakimuli, 40, the Kalangala District Woman MP at Alexandra Medical Center in Kampala, on Sunday, following unsuccessful surgery, has left many in grief and shock.

Nakimuli is the first re-elected Member of Parliament for the incoming 12th Parliament to die before taking swearing in, and the second re-elected leader to pass on after Kikuube District LC5 Chairperson Peter Banura, who died in a road crash on April 4, 2026.

The eight deceased legislators span across political divides as the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) lost four members, while the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the National Unity Platform (NUP) lost two each.

Among them is Jacob Oulanyah, 56, the former Speaker of the 11th Parliament and the Omoro County MP, died on March 20, 2022, who died in Seattle, United States of America (USA), due to organ failure, after being airlifted for better medical care, as referred by Mulago National Referral Hospital.

His death followed the failure of the liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart, leaving a vacant Speaker’s seat.

This led to the rise of Bukedea Woman Ms Anita Annet Among as the Speaker of the 11th Parliament after a highly contested March 25, 2022 election before she assumed office as Uganda’s second post-independence female Speaker after Ms Rebecca Kadaga.

Another MP, Col (rtd) Charles Patrick Okello Engola, the then State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations and Oyam North County legislator, was shot dead by his bodyguard, Pte Wilson Sabiiti at his home in Kyanja, a Kampala suburb on May 2, 2023. Pte Sabiiti is said to have later killed himself.

Col (rtd) Engola’s death stirred debate among Ugandans, many questioning how a senior government official was killed by his own guard, prompting many to start motivating security guards to prevent similar cases.

The minister’s son, Mr Samuel Engola Okello Junior, lost the by-election to replace him in Parliament.

Uganda People's Congress (UPC) candidate, Dr Eunice Otuko Apio won the election with 15,718 votes while Mr Engola Junior who was the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer garnered 15,176 of the votes cast.

Serere County MP Patrick Okabe died in a road at Naboa Town Council in Budaka District along the Mbale-Tirinyi road on December 19, 2023.

His death after his car collided with a truck, sent shockwaves throughout the country as road crashes continue to claim lives to date.

Okabe was the first legislator in the 11th Parliament to die in a road crash. His wife who was driving in the same car, a V8 Land Cruiser, died on the way to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.

On January 18, 2024, then Dokolo District Woman MP Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal succumbed to cancer at the age of 77.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) diehard been a prominent figure in Uganda’s political arena since 1996.

Her death was widely mourned, not only in Dokolo but across the country, where she was regarded as one of the most consistent and principled voices in Uganda’s Parliament.

Barely eight months after Ogwal’s demise, the country woke up to another shocking news of an MP’s death.

Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke, 50, then serving Kisoro District Woman MP and Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs was announced dead on September 7, 2024.

Mateke who was one of the significant political figures in Western Uganda and known for community service succumbed to a heart attack.

On January 9, 2025 the Kawempe North parliamentary seat was left vacant when Muhammad Ssegirinya, 37, died at Lubaga Hospital in Kampala after battling a long illness.

Ssegirinya had been elected to the Parliament in the 2021 General Election before he was arrested eight months later alongside his Makindye West MP counterpart, Allan Ssewanyana on charges of terrorism and murder, following accusations of involvement in the greater Masaka area killings that left over 20 people dead.

Former Kawempe North MP, the late Muhammad Ssegirinya. PHOTO/ FILE

They were granted bail on February 13, 2023 after spending 17 months on remand.

In his short-lived tenure, Ssegirinya’s leadership focused on tangible community projects and left a lasting imprint on Kawempe North, as he established a free community health facility in Kawempe, which provided basic medical services to residents who could not afford high-priced private care, a project that stalled after his arrest.

On January 17, 2026, Ngora District Woman Member of Parliament Stella Apolot Isodo died barely three days after the Generla Election, abruptly cutting her term in the 11th Parliament short.

Her demise happened just two days after losing the seat to the NRM’s Josephine Pedun.

The demises of Nakimuli, who had been also serving as shadow minister for Communication and Anti-Corruption, has opened fresh wounds in the legislative body as the country continues to grieve over the loss of a human rights activist and sportswoman popularly known for community development activities in the islands of Ssese.

What they say

Mr Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality MP, said in Nakimuli, Uganda has lost an energetic, multi-talented legislator who had brought intellect, compassion and sportsmanship to the House.

He described her as a fearless anti-corruption crusader, a communications expert, and a unifier who showed that opposition politics was about building real alternatives through practical service.

“She lived by the words: 'If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.' Her character was her greatest strength: gentle and calm in demeanour, yet possessing a core of steel,” Mr Zaake recounted.

Mr Geofrey Kayemba Ssolo, Bukomansimbi South MP, described Nakimuli as an eloquent, humble and uncompromising on issues of transparency and accountability for the general benefit of the common people.

"She looked like a simple person, but so strong; in the last session, she stood on the floor of Parliament to express dissatisfaction with the government’s report on Hoima City Stadium, reminding us that development must reach every corner of Uganda,” Mr Kayemba Ssolo said.

Nakimuli will be buried on April 23, 2026, at her ancestral home in Luwero District.

The deceased 11th parliament MPs

1. Mr Jacob Olanya (NRM)

2. Mr Patrick Okabe (NRM)

3. Col (rtd) Charles Patrick Okello Engola (NRM)

4. Ms Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke (NRM)

5. Mr Muhammad Ssegirinya (NUP)

6. Ms Helen Nakimuli (NUP)

7. Ms Cecilia Ogwal (FDC)

8. Ms Opolot Isodo (FDC)