Dr Gladys K Zikusooka, daughter to ‘mother of Uganda’s Parliament’ Rhoda Kalema, has shared her last wish and final moments before she died.
Rhoda Kalema breathed her last at 3:27a.m. on Sunday, August 03, 2025 at Nairobi Hospital. She was aged 96.
Her daughter Dr Zikusooka said she was “shocked and devastated at the passing of my dear mother and best friend, Hon. Rhoda Kalema” and thanked Ugandans “for coming together as a nation to join us in celebrating her incredible life that has inspired many women, men, and youth, of whom several have followed in her footsteps.”
“I depended so much on my mother, even at 96! She never let age define what she could do in life, and inspired so many with her energy,” noted Zikusooka.
She further revealed that her mother her dedicated her final years to encourage people to love of God. She had been part of Scripture Union celebrations.
“At the age of 96, her last duty on earth was doing what she loved most: inspiring people to love God and make the world a better place. She was celebrating 23 years of Scripture Union at their annual conference in Kiboga District, where she served as their first Member of Parliament,” Dr Zikusooka further noted.
“My mother was often referred to as ‘Mother of the Uganda Parliament,’ having encouraged many women to join politics.”
On the Rhoda Kalema cause of death, her daughter noted that she had developed acute pain in her abdomen after the conference and was taken to Kiboga Hospital , who then took her to Nsambya Hospital, where she was subsequently referred to her doctors in Nairobi Hospital on Saturday night.
Zikusooka, her husband Lawrence, and their son Tendo met ‘Maama’ Rhoda Kalema in Kenya as they returned from the International Primatological Society conference in Madagascar.
“I am blessed to have had the opportunity to be with my dear mother in her final days and support my sister, Dr. Veronica Kalema, to look after her in Nairobi Hospital,” Zikusooka added.
She then revealed her mother’s last wish: her husband’s biography.
“My mother still had one more task that was burning in her heart and almost completed: a biography about her dear husband, my father, Hon. William Wilberforce Kalema, who was a senior cabinet minister in the first government of President Obote after Uganda gained independence in 1962, and whose life was tragically cut short when he was murdered by President Idi Amin’s soldiers in 1972,” she noted.
“My sister, Dr. Veronica Nakibule, and I have an obligation to launch the book soon to fulfill her last wish. Stay tuned!”
What else did Dr Gladys K Zikusooka say about Rhoda Kalema?
Thank you all so much for the condolence messages, bringing the comfort we need at this very trying time.
Last week, we missed two functions we were going to attend together: the launch of Beverly Nambozo’s book “Feeling,” a poetry anthology celebrating iconic Ugandan women published by the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation and supported by the British Council, where we were both honored to be featured. On Saturday, we were going to attend the 30th celebration of FOWODE (Forum for Women in Democracy), where Hon . Rhoda Kalema was delighted to give a speech, having received their first Award in 1996, which I so proudly attended when working as the first veterinary officer of Uganda Wildlife Authority , and who gave me the Tourism Award in 2024 for our work at Conservation Through Public Health. When I broke the news to Hon. Miria Matembe that Maama was very ill, she told me that a video was played about Hon. Rhoda Kalema on Saturday night, and prayed that God would heal her friend and mentor.
This year, she was so proud to become a Canon of Mityana Diocese. Along with other family members, my husband and I attended the celebration in Kiboga, Bamusuuta Church of Uganda, which was truly special , with many people thanking her for her contribution towards the decades of development in the district. I didn’t realise it was the last big event celebrating her extraordinary life. They fondly referred to her heart-warming autobiography “My Life Is But a Weaving.”
May dear Canon Hon. Rhoda Kalema rest in peace and power, knowing that her work on earth is done. Let us continue her rich legacy, as a family and as a nation of Uganda and beyond.
You can read more on Rhoda Kalema Here.
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