Parliament cried today. Then it acted.
A special sitting to pay tribute to the late Hon. Helen Nakimuli, former Kalangala District Woman MP, commenced this Wednesday. The chamber was full. The mood was heavy. By afternoon, grief had turned into something rare in that building: unanimous action.
Sports Minister Hon. Peter Ogwang stood up and moved a motion. He asked the Parliamentary Commission to deduct Shs500,000 from every MP to support the education of Nakimuli’s daughter.
The whole House adopted it. No debate. No division. No “point of order”. Just hands up.
In a place where MPs fight over Shs200,000 for lunch, 500,000 was approved in under a minute. That tells you who Nakimuli was.
‘She Was Not Confrontational’
Speaker Hon. Anita Among led the tributes. She called Nakimuli “a compassionate and down-to-earth lady.” Then she added the line that stuck: “And when she debated, she debated with evidence. She was not confrontational; she was such a calm lady.”
In Uganda’s Parliament, “not confrontational” is not an insult. It is a compliment. It means you could disagree with the government without shouting. You could pin a minister with facts and still share tea after. Nakimuli mastered that.
Among also revealed that Nakimuli’s postmortem had been handed to the family after an extensive meeting with medics. No details were given. The family has them. That is enough.
The Wreaths and the WhatsApp Message
Photos from the chamber showed members of the House laying wreaths on Nakimuli’s casket. All Members of Parliament no matter the party they belong to, all bowed at the same box. Death does that.
Hon. Francis Zaake brought the room to silence. He said Nakimuli sent him a message before her operation. “She was going in for the operation, asking me to pray for her.”
She did not survive the surgery. She was 41.
The Athlete MP
Speaker Among reminded the House that most of the trophies Parliament won at the EAC Inter-Parliamentary Games over the last five years belong to Nakimuli. She played volleyball, basketball, and netball.
Think about that. The same woman who stood up to debate fisheries policy was spiking a ball over Kenya’s MPs on Saturday. That is not common. Most MPs retire to the tent after one match. Nakimuli competed in three.
She brought medals home. Now Parliament will try to bring her daughter through school.
‘We Didn’t Take Her Away From You’
Hon. Theodore Ssekikubo of Lwemiyaga stood up and did something unusual: he thanked the opposition. “I want to thank the opposition, you nurtured Hon. Nakimuli but you didn’t take her away from us.”
That line matters. Nakimuli was NUP. Ssekikubo is NRM. In 2026, those labels are war paint. But Ssekikubo was saying she belonged to the whole House. Opposition raised her. Parliament owned her.
Vice President Jessica Alupo agreed. She eulogised Nakimuli as an active MP “whose actions were visible in the committee, floor of Parliament and the constituency.” Visible in committee means she attended. Visible on the floor means she spoke. Visible in constituency means she went back to Kalangala. Many MPs fail one of those three.
A Warning About the Phones
ICT Minister Hon. Chris Baryomunsi used the sitting to send a message outside the chamber. He urged the public to desist from trolling and celebrating the death of leaders on social media.
It had to be said. When a politician dies in Uganda, two funerals happen. One in the village. One on Twitter. The second one is uglier. Baryomunsi was asking Ugandans to bury the phone before they bury the person.
Why Shs264.5 Million Matters
Do the math. The House had 529 members present. Shs500,000 from each is Shs264.5 million. That pays for primary, secondary, and university if managed well. It will not replace a mother. But it removes one fear from the family: school fees.
It also sets a precedent. MPs have died before. Their children have struggled after. This time, the House moved fast. Ogwang’s motion was not on the Order Paper. He rose on emotion. The House responded on conscience.
Will it happen for the next MP? Maybe. But Nakimuli’s daughter will not wait to find out.
What Kalangala Lost
Kalangala lost a 41-year-old woman who beat a 30-year NRM system in 2021. She was Shadow Minister for Fisheries. She fought for families displaced by Lake Victoria floods. She funded Ssese FC. She played three sports for Parliament and won.
She was supposed to defend her seat in 2026. She was unopposed in NUP primaries. Now the seat is vacant. The by-election clock is ticking.
But for one afternoon, politics stopped. Campaigns stopped. Abductions were not mentioned. The House remembered that before they were NUP or NRM, they were colleagues.
They voted with their wallets. They laid wreaths. They told stories.
Hon. Helen Nakimuli died on April 19. On April 22, Parliament showed up for her child.
That is the part of the job they do not swear to in the Oath of Allegiance. But it is the part people remember.
