Rhoda Kalema, a daughter of former Buganda Katikkiro Martin Luther Nsibirwa, has passed on. Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema was respected as a trailblazing female politician and hailed as ‘mother of Uganda’s Parliament.’
One of two-time Katikkiro Nsibirwa’s 24 children, Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema died in a hospital in Nairobi where she had been receiving treatment for age-related complications.
She was aged 96.
Rhoda Kalema profile
Rhoda Kalema was born in 1929. She attended Gayaza Junior School, and King’s College Buddo.
She worked as a secretary and bursar at Gayaza High School after completing her secretarial course.
In 1950, Rhoda married William Kalema, a teacher at King’s College Budo, who would later become minister of commerce.
She would later do a course in Social Work and Social Administration at Newbattle Abbey in the United Kingdom, and a diploma in Social Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
With support from Grace Ibingira and Adoko Nyekon, Rhoda Kalema joined the UPC.
Years later, she served as junior minister of Culture and Community Development in Godfrey Binaisa’s government.
In 1972, the Amin regime of terror abducted and killed Rhoda Kalema’s husband.
She would later return to active politics after Amin’s fall.
Rhoda Kalema was one of the two female representatives of the National Consultative Council (NCC) of the Uganda National Liberation Front under Edward Rugumayo.
She was one of the founder members of Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) in 1980.
With Museveni in power, Rhoda Kalema served as deputy minister of public service from 1989 to 1991.
In 1994, Rhoda Kalema defeated eight rivals to become the Kiboga representative in the Constituent Assembly.
In 1996, Uganda’s Forum for Women in Democracy honoured Rhoda Kalema for her transformative leadership.
In 2018, she was awarded the Sudreau Global Justice Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pepperdine University School of Law.
Tributes Pour in
Here’s what some notable Ugandans have been saying about Rhoda Kalema:
Hon Canon Rhona Kalema – I was last with you on 16th June 2025. This meeting had nice long follow up calls on what needs to be done in the women movement. I remember every word of these long Sunday calls and I will do my best to add a brick to your firm foundation.
Maama Rhoda Kalema, you broke barriers for women in leadership and served your nation with unwavering integrity. Your legacy lives on in every Ugandan woman who dares to lead, in every voice that stands for justice, and in the hope of a nation you so dearly loved.
We shall not only celebrate the life you lived but also embrace the call you have left us with: to stand for justice, to serve with humility, and to never lose hope in the promise of our nation.
Hon. Canon Rhoda Kalema — your race is run, your crown is won. Uganda is better because you lived. May your soul rest in eternal peace – your light will forever live on. – Sarah Bireete, ED, Center or Constitutional Governance
I am saddened to hear of the passing of Hon. Rhoda Nakibuuka Nsibirwa Kalema. She was a woman of unique character and valour—down-to-earth and amiable. She was 96.
Hon. Rhoda fondly carried the title of “Mother of Parliament” because of her immense contribution to Uganda’s politics and the cause of women’s emancipation. She was active in politics as a fervent supporter of various political groups even before independence. However, her most instrumental role came after the fall of the Amin dictatorship.
She joined the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), a courageous move that led to at least three documented arrests and imprisonments in Luzira Prison. She was one of only two female representatives in the National Consultative Council (NCC), formed after Amin’s regime ended.
She later served as Deputy Minister of Public Service from 1989 to 1991, and in 1994, she represented Kiboga District in the Constituent Assembly. She mentored many of our country’s most outstanding women politicians.
I had the honour of being hosted by Hon. Rhoda in 2023 together with Hon. Miria Matembe at her home in Kibuli, where I tapped into her invaluable knowledge on topics ranging from life and politics to education.
May the life she lived and her contributions to this country continue to inspire us and generations to come.
Rest in peace, Mother of Parliament. – Thomas Tayebwa, deputy speaker of parliament
Oh dear, Owek. Rhoda Kalema has passed on. I had promised to visit her and I hadn’t done so. She called me sometime back, she had something to tell me and she has passed on before I had gone to see her.
At an advanced age she was blessed to have full mental capacity. Her accomplishments and contributions are well documented. Her family is historically well respected and revered. May her soul rest in eternal peace. – Augustine Ruzindana.
You can see the list and profiles of Uganda’s speakers of parliament since independence Here.
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