Karooro Okurut remembered as a 'mother' to Teso

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Leaders of the Teso sub-region have paid tribute to former minister Mary Karoro Okurut, describing her as a loving mother and wife who touched many lives.

Karooro, who died at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, August 11, 2025, at the age of 70, was the wife of the late former minister Stanislaus Okurut from Ngora district.

“I will remember Karooro as a good wife to Teso, a mother who was caring and who took care of our father, Okurut, even at the time of need; she was there for him,” said the former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Patrick Oboi Amuriat.

Mary Karoro Okurut greeting the state minister for disability, Grace Asamo, during the burial of Onapito Ekomoloit in Amuria last year. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

Amuriat said it was a pity that elders with a rich history in politics, religion and other social aspects of the country are passing away.

“I had the opportunity to serve with her in Parliament, whereas she sat on the government side, as minister, she respected everybody, including members of the opposition.

At times when it became so hard for us in opposition, and all the arguments went through the roof, she would be a harmoniser, cooling down tempers. So, she was a peacemaker,” Amuriat recalled.

He highlighted her role in nurturing journalists during her tenure as a lecturer at Makerere University. Karoro taught and mentored many students, including Onapito Ekomolit, whom she taught journalism and later worked with as deputy press secretary.

He said death had cut short her dreams for the elderly in the western region, whom she was hoping to represent in Parliament.

“And, you know, the last time I met her, she indicated to me that she was not done yet with leadership. And she had intended to contest to become MP for the elderly, coming from the western part of the country. Uganda has lost a mother with a calm demeanour, a very polite woman. She was a very generous person, somebody who was knowledgeable,” Amuriat told New Vision.

Former Teso affairs minister Christine Hellen Amongin Aporu, currently the NRM chairperson for Kumi district, described Karoro as a great leader who defended and promoted the NRM party through her column in New Vision.

“Karoro was part of my family because during her marriage, my father, the late Gideon Ojamuge was the chairperson who led the team from Teso to Bushenyi. She also worked with my late husband Aporu,” she said.

Mary Karoro Okurut with her sister, daughter and son-in-law during the burial of Onapito Ekomoloit in Amuria district. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

Ngora district woman MP Stella Apolot Isodo expressed shock at the news, recalling how Karoro would ask for help in acquiring a tractor for farming. Isodo described her as a motherly figure who never turned her away, even when she was an opposition leader.

Karoro and her family attended the burial of Onapito Ekomolit in Amuria district, where she shared with the Teso people her love for the region.

“Teso people are intelligent, and Onapito proved that as my student,” Karooro Okurut, who taught Onapito journalism and also worked with him as Deputy Press Secretary to the President.

Karooro’s husband, Okurut, died in 2014 and was buried in Olwa village in Ngora district.

She leaves behind a legacy of remarkable public service, literary achievements, and dedication to women's rights.