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Martha Okumu Ringa, a Ugandan diplomat stationed at the Ugandan Embassy in Rome, has died.
Margaret Kafeero, Head of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that Okumu Ringa suffered a compound fracture in an accident at her duty station last week. She successfully underwent an initial surgery and was scheduled for a second procedure on Saturday.
"Last night, while a nurse was attending to her, she suffered a heart attack," Kafeero said.
Okumu Ringa was the daughter of former Minister of Public Service and business philanthropist Patrick Aloysius Okumu Ringa, who passed away in 2023.
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Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire confirmed that the ministry is making arrangements to repatriate her body to Uganda for burial.
Okumu Ringa dedicated over a decade to Uganda’s diplomatic service, holding key positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various foreign missions.
Between 2013 and 2018, she served as a Foreign Service Officer at the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa. She was responsible for advancing Uganda’s interests in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe, managing visa and consular services, representing Uganda in official engagements, and supporting the Ugandan diaspora.
Before her posting in Pretoria, she worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala as a Third Secretary from 2009 to 2013.
In this role, she played a crucial part in regional diplomacy, coordinating Uganda’s engagements with the East African Community (EAC) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). She was particularly active in advocating for women’s rights and regional integration policies.