Katikkiro Mayiga mourns theatre icon Alex Mukulu

• Alex Mukulu died on August 15, 2026, aged 72.

• Charles Peter Mayiga praised Mukulu as a gifted artist and defender of Buganda culture.

• Mukulu’s acclaimed works included 30 Years of Bananas and Wounds of Africa.

• Benjamin Kivumbi and Gabriel Buule joined Uganda’s arts fraternity in mourning the theatre veteran.

Buganda Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga has mourned veteran actor and playwright Alex Mukulu, describing him as a gifted artist who loved the kingdom’s culture and traditions.

Mukulu died on Saturday, August 15, 2026, aged 72, triggering tributes from Uganda’s arts and entertainment fraternity. (Monitor⁠)

“The news of the death of the talented Alex Mukulu has deeply saddened me,” Mayiga said in a tribute on Saturday.

Mayiga said Mukulu distinguished himself as a writer, director, actor, songwriter and singer during a career that spanned decades.

“He produced plays of a high standard, and we learnt a lot from his productions,” Mayiga said.

He also remembered Mukulu as a loyal subject of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and a strong advocate for Buganda’s heritage.

“He was a man of the Kabaka who greatly loved the traditions and culture of Buganda,” Mayiga said.

Mayiga extended his condolences to Mukulu’s relatives and friends and prayed for his soul.

“I extend my condolences to his family and friends. I pray that the Lord judges his soul with mercy,” he said.

Born in 1954, Mukulu became one of Uganda’s most prominent playwrights, actors and directors. He spent about four decades at the centre of Ugandan theatre, producing work that explored politics, history, culture and social life. (Monitor⁠)

His best-known works include 30 Years of Bananas, Wounds of Africa, Muzukulu wa Kabangala, Opera Bakisimba, Dances with Poverty and Seven Wonders of Uganda. He also created Journey to Self-Realisation, which was performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala in 2007. (Monitor⁠)

30 Years of Bananas became one of his defining works. First staged in 1992 as Uganda marked 30 years of independence, the political satire examined the country’s post-independence journey through theatre, music and humour. Oxford University Press published the work in book form in 1993. (Monitor⁠)

Mukulu also mentored generations of actors and helped sustain theatre as audiences increasingly turned to television and digital entertainment.

Journalist Dr Benjamin Kivumbi described Mukulu as a theatre icon whose influence would endure.

“His wisdom and immense contribution to the theatre world will forever be missed,” Kivumbi wrote on X.

“Alex Mukulu was a true theatre icon whose talent, wisdom, and dedication touched many lives and left an indelible mark on the arts and entertainment industry.”

Entertainment critic Gabriel Buule remembered Mukulu as a strict director who demanded discipline from his casts. He also described him as outspoken and a fierce critic of President Museveni’s leadership.

“Alex Mukulu was Uganda’s strictest theatre director, relying on sheer arrogance to keep his casts disciplined and in line,” Buule said.

Mukulu remained active in theatre into his later years. In 2022, he reflected on 30 Years of Bananas and said many of the political and social questions raised in the production remained relevant three decades after its debut. (Monitor⁠)

His death closes a career that helped shape modern Ugandan theatre and used the stage to confront questions of politics, leadership, culture and national identity.