KAMPALA, Uganda — Mary Busingye Karoro Okurut, a distinguished Ugandan educator, author, and politician, died Monday. She was 70.
Okurut, who was widely known as Mary Karoro Okurut, served as a Cabinet Minister in various capacities, including Minister in Charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister. She also held the positions of Minister for National Security and Minister of Gender and Social Issues.
A former Member of Parliament for the Bushenyi District Women’s Constituency, Okurut was born on December 8, 1954, in Bushenyi District.
Before her career in politics, Okurut was a notable figure in Uganda’s literary scene. She founded the Uganda Women Writers Association, known as FEMRITE, which has gained international recognition and published works by numerous acclaimed authors.
Okurut’s literary contributions include the novels “The Invisible Weevil” (1998) and “The Official Wife”. She also edited “A Woman’s Voice” (1998), a collection of short stories by Ugandan women writers. She also wrote “The Curse of The Sacred Cow”.
Okurut lectured in the Department of Literature at Makerere University from 1981 to 1993. She served as press secretary to both the vice president and the president of Uganda before being elected to parliament in 2004.
She is survived by her eight children. Her husband, Stanislaus Okurut, died in 2014.
