President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the late former Minister for Public Service, Lay Canon Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema, be accorded an Official Burial.
Kalema passed away over the weekend in Nairobi, where she had been admitted due to undisclosed illnesses.
In preparation for the burial, the Government of Uganda has constituted a hybrid National Organizing Committee chaired by the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babirye Babalanda, with representation from the Kalema family.
Her body is expected to arrive at Entebbe International Airport tomorrow, where it will be received by close family members and friends before being taken to a funeral home near the airport.
A church service will be held at Namirembe Cathedral on Thursday, and she will be laid to rest on Saturday in Kiboga District. The Uganda Police Force will oversee all official burial ceremonies, including a gun salute at the burial site.
Born in May 1929 at Butikkiro, the official residence of the Katikkiro of Buganda, Kalema was the daughter of Martin Luther Nsibirwa, who served twice as Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of the Buganda Kingdom.
Her early education took her through Gayaza Junior School and King’s College Budo, followed by a secretarial course that led to her employment at Gayaza High School as a secretary and bursar.
In 1950, she married William Kalema, a teacher who later became a cabinet minister. His tragic death at the hands of Idi Amin’s regime in 1972 forced her into temporary political retreat. However, following Amin’s ouster in 1979, Kalema returned to public life with renewed resolve.
She entered politics in 1961, introduced by Grace Ibingira and Adoko Nyekon, and joined the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC). Kalema later served as a junior minister for Culture and Community Development in President Godfrey Binaisa’s short-lived government.
In 1979, she was appointed to the National Consultative Council (NCC), the legislative body formed under the Uganda National Liberation Front. She was one of only two women to serve on the NCC.
In 1980, Kalema became a founding member of the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), which would later evolve into the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Despite multiple arrests by the State Research Bureau in 1979, 1981, and 1983, she remained steadfast in her commitment to justice and representation.
Appointed Deputy Minister for Public Service in 1989 under President Museveni, she later represented Kiboga District in the 1994 Constituent Assembly, where she triumphed over eight male contenders with a landslide victory.
Rhoda Kalema was also a mentor to many, including Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, now Minister of Energy and Mineral Development.
Her leadership and lifelong service earned her national and international recognition. In 1996, the Forum for Women in Democracy honored her as a “transformative leader.” In 2018, she received the Sudreau Global Justice Lifetime Achievement Award from Pepperdine University School of Law and the Ugandan Judiciary.
Rhoda Kalema’s life was a testament to perseverance, principled leadership, and unwavering service to her country and community. Her legacy transcends politics — it is one of resilience, dignity, and historic impact.
