Senior Ugandan Diplomat in Italy Martha Okumu Ringa Dies in Rome Hospital

Posted on January 31, 2025
By Sean Musa Carter
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Martha Okumu Ringa, a senior Ugandan diplomat serving at the Ugandan Embassy in Rome, Italy, has passed away. Her death was confirmed by Margaret Kafeero, the Head of Public Diplomacy at Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Kafeero, Okumu Ringa sustained a compound fracture in an accident last week at her duty station. She successfully underwent initial surgery and was scheduled for a second procedure on Saturday. Tragically, she suffered a heart attack while a nurse was attending to her, leading to her sudden passing.

Okumu Ringa was the daughter of former Public Service Minister and business philanthropist Patrick Aloysius Okumu Ringa, who passed away in 2023.

She dedicated over a decade to Uganda’s diplomatic service, holding key positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several foreign missions.

  • 2013–2018: Served as a Foreign Service Officer at the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, where she managed consular affairs and advanced Uganda’s diplomatic interests across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland (Eswatini), and Zimbabwe.
  • 2009–2013: Worked as a Third Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala, handling diplomatic engagements and consular matters.

The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Vincent Bagiire, confirmed that arrangements are underway to repatriate her body to Uganda for burial.

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