Ugandan envoy to Rwanda Amb. Mary Kinyera dies at Mulago

Uganda’s diplomatic community is mourning Ambassador Santa Mary Laker Kinyera, the country’s Deputy High Commissioner to Rwanda, who died on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital in Kampala. 

She had reportedly been receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the news in a statement, expressing deep sadness over the loss of one of its senior diplomats. 

The ministry said the country had lost a dedicated public servant who had spent decades advancing Uganda’s foreign policy and diplomatic relations. 

Ambassador Kinyera joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 and rose steadily through the ranks during a diplomatic career that lasted more than three decades. Over the years, she served in several departments at the ministry headquarters and represented Uganda in various diplomatic missions abroad.

Early in her career, Kinyera worked in the ministry’s Africa and Middle East Department between 1995 and 1999. In this role, she specialised in bilateral relations and regional integration matters.

She was also part of Uganda’s delegation during negotiations that led to the establishment of the East African Community Treaty, an important step in strengthening regional cooperation among East African countries. 

In 2000, Kinyera served on an inter-ministerial team tasked with facilitating the return of Ugandan children abducted to Sudan by the Lord’s Resistance Army. She later participated in regional peace initiatives under organisations such as the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Her diplomatic postings included Uganda’s mission in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she served as Second Secretary and later First Secretary between 2002 and 2007. She also helped establish Uganda’s embassy in Ankara, Turkey, where she served as the mission’s first Chargé d’Affaires. 

At the time of her death, Kinyera was serving in Kigali as Uganda’s Deputy High Commissioner to Rwanda, a role in which she helped strengthen bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries. 

Tributes from colleagues and members of the diplomatic community have continued to pour in, with many describing her as a committed professional who played a key role in Uganda’s foreign service. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the coming days.