The death of veteran Ugandan playwright, actor and director Alex Mukulu has left former colleagues and protégés mourning a man they describe as a gifted theatre practitioner, mentor and tireless creative. Fellow artists described him as a towering figure in Uganda’s creative industry whose influence extended across theatre, music and generations of performers.
Jazz musician Isaiah Katumwa mourned Mukulu as both a great artist and a close friend, describing him as a brilliant actor, storyteller and cultural icon. Katumwa said Mukulu’s talent, wisdom and passion for the arts left a lasting impression on those who knew him personally.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Alex Mukulu, a brilliant actor, storyteller, and one of Uganda’s great cultural icons,” Katumwa wrote. He said Mukulu’s death was not only a loss to Uganda’s cultural sector but also a personal loss to him as a friend. “Uganda has lost a great son, and I have lost a friend,” he said.
Katumwa said Mukulu’s legacy would continue to live through his artistic contribution and the people he inspired. His tribute adds to a growing stream of messages from artists mourning Mukulu and reflecting on his influence.
Musician Maurice Kirya recalled that Mukulu gave him an opportunity to join his “40 Anointed Voices” choir 22 years ago, an experience he said helped shape his artistic journey. Kirya described Mukulu as one of the great pillars of Ugandan theatre and music and credited him with encouraging artists to step outside their comfort zones and develop their own identities.
Musician Ykee Benda also recalled Mukulu as the man who gave him his first opportunity to perform on a major stage as a dancer and vocalist in the 50 Years Independence production about 13 years ago. Ykee Benda said Mukulu groomed him and taught him to care for art and love it deeply.
Artist-turned-politician Ali Bukeni, popularly known as Nubian Li, remembered Mukulu for using theatre to speak truth to power. Bukeni described him as a fearless and brilliant voice whose works, particularly Thirty Years of Banana, left an enduring mark on Uganda’s cultural and political history.
The tributes are reinforced by memories from Mukulu’s former colleagues, who describe him as a demanding but generous mentor who invested heavily in young talent. Writing from abroad, Victoria Kweidhusa, one of Mukulu’s subordinates at Change International Ltd, stated that he was one of the first people outside her family to believe in her abilities and gave her an opportunity to build a career.
She recalls joining Mukulu’s theatre group, Change International Ltd, shortly after university as she tried to determine her next step. She recalled that instead of waiting for her to find her way, Mukulu immediately appointed her manager.
That position would later become so closely associated with her that Mukulu rarely referred to her by her name. “He would say, ‘Oli omusoga omugezi ennyo,’” she recalled, describing the affection with which he treated her. Nearly three decades later, the two reunited at Mukulu’s home in Mengo.
Their last meeting came a few days after Mukulu had performed at the National Theatre in September 2024 in honour of the late Father Grimes. The reunion lasted about six hours. They sat and talked about their lives, their work and plans they hoped to pursue, without noticing how quickly the time had passed. Mukulu also recreated a moment from their past.
He asked his former manager to sit in the same office where she had worked nearly 30 years earlier, when she was a young woman uncertain about where life would take her.
The photograph taken that day would become a lasting reminder of their relationship and Mukulu’s role in her early career. Kweidhusa recalls that Mukulu was disappointed when she eventually left his organisation, but was also happy that she had moved to the United Kingdom to pursue other opportunities.
She is left mourning not only a former employer but a mentor and friend. She says they had continued discussing plans, with voice notes from their conversations remaining as evidence of projects they never got to implement.
“We never got to have that coffee date,” she said. The tribute also paints Mukulu as a perfectionist who was deeply committed to his craft. Those who worked with him, she says, will remember an actor, playwright and director who demanded that his vision be realised before leaving the stage.
She describes him as a workaholic and a creative genius whose commitment to theatre extended beyond acting and directing. Mukulu was also closely associated with music and was rarely seen without his guitar.
According to his former colleague, many of his compositions began with a simple note played on the guitar. “He had a note for every situation,” she recalled. She says Mukulu encouraged her singing but was particularly interested in her ability to write in Luganda.
Their relationship was also marked by humour. Despite her upbringing as a Musoga, she says Mukulu often joked that she needed to discover her “true identity” because of her command of Luganda. The memories offer a glimpse into the personality behind the celebrated theatre practitioner, a man who combined discipline and creativity with humour and a strong interest in the development of those around him.
For his former colleagues and actors, Mukulu’s legacy extends beyond the plays he wrote, directed, or performed in. It is also reflected in the people he mentored and the careers he helped shape.
His former colleague says everyone who worked with him will remember his exceptional talent and his determination to see his creative ideas through. His influence, Kweidhusa says, remains particularly strong among those who were part of his theatre circles, including fellow Kassiggu mates who are now mourning his death.
As tributes continue to emerge, Mukulu is being remembered not simply for his performances but for the opportunities he created for others and the confidence he placed in young people trying to find their way in the arts. For those who knew him closely, his death marks the loss of a mentor, colleague, friend and creative force.
“Abe Namutamba, tufiliddwa,” she wrote in mourning, expressing the sense of loss shared by those who worked alongside him. Mukulu leaves behind a body of work and a generation of artists who carry memories of his discipline, humour, creativity and mentorship.
Mukulu’s former colleagues also remember him as a relentless creative who would remain on stage until his artistic vision was realised. He was known not only as an actor, playwright and director but also as a musician and composer who was rarely without his guitar. The tributes emerging after his death portray Mukulu as more than a theatre practitioner.
He was a mentor, storyteller, cultural commentator and friend whose influence stretched across Uganda’s performing arts. For those he mentored and those who knew him personally, his legacy will live on through the artists he inspired and the body of work he leaves behind-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
