The State Minister for Defence, Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, who is also the Kisoro Woman Member of Parliament, is dead.
Born on July 15, 1974, in Chahi subcounty, Kisoro District, Mateke, 50, was a devoted politician, educationist, and philanthropist.
Information Communication Technology and National Guidance Minister Chris Baryomunsi on Saturday announced her death.
“I am sad to announce the death of Nyirabashitsi, the State Minister of Defence, and also Kisoro Woman MP. May the good Lord comfort the family and rest her soul in eternal peace. Funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course,” Baryomunsi stated.
Baryomunsi noted that the minister died at Mengo Hospital following heart complications.
Defence Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye confirmed the minister passed away on Saturday morning after she was rushed to Mengo Hospital.
“It is sad. She passed a way at Mengo Hospital, where she had been taken this morning. She was in office on Friday, and she was scheduled to travel to South Korea this afternoon. Her passing is sudden,” Kulayigye stated.
A family member confirmed the former minister of state for youths was battling heart-related complications.
The late Minister is the daughter of former Minister for State for Foreign Affairs Philemon Mateke.
In June 2021, President Yoweri Museveni appointed her Minister of State for Gender, Labour, and Social Development (Youth and Children Affairs), replacing Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi.
In the April 2024 reshuffle, she was appointed the state minister for defence.
