The Ugandan creative industry is in mourning following the death of celebrated actress and filmmaker Esther Brenda Apolot, aka Esteri Tebandeke, who passed away on March 24, 2026, at the age of 41 after a long battle with chronic kidney disease.
Her death has hit hard across the film, theatre and arts community, with many describing her as one of the most authentic storytellers Uganda has produced.
Many Ugandans will remember her from the global Disney film Queen of Katwe, where she played Sarah Katende, the mother to Phiona Mutesi. That role alone placed her on the international stage and introduced her talent to the world.
Esteri had been in the game since around 2008, building a career that cut across film, theatre, dance and visual art. She featured in productions like Sins of the Parents, Master on Duty, Imperial Blue and Cooking Oil, while also dominating stage performances including Conversations With My Mother.
And if you were deep into Ugandan music back then, you definitely saw her as the vixen in Bobi Wine’s hit song Singa 👀
Beyond acting, Esteri was also a filmmaker with vision and her directorial debut Little Black Dress premiered at the Africa International Film Festival in 2019, with her work going on to feature at major global platforms like the Toronto International Film Festival and BFI London.
In 2025, she launched the Binti Film Festival, a platform aimed at amplifying women’s voices in film with plans for an even bigger second edition this year.
Off screen, her life was just as powerful.She was married to fellow filmmaker Samuel Lutaata Tebandeke, who in 2022 donated one of his kidneys in a bid to save her life. Sadly, her body later rejected the transplant, leading to further complications.
In her final days, she was admitted to Nakasero Hospital’s High Dependency Unit and was on oxygen support before passing away in her husband’s arms.
