Uganda's Deputy High Commissioner to Rwanda, Santa Mary Laker Kinyera, has died at Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital, the government announced on Tuesday.

"It is with profound shock and sorrow that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces the passing of our dear colleague, Amb. Santa Laker Kinyera, which occurred this morning at Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on X.

Kinyera is said to have joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 as a career diplomat and rose through the ranks.

Details of the funeral arrangements will be shared in due course.

Who is Kinyera

She graduated from Makerere University with a BA Honours degree before enrolling for a Master’s degree in Social Science in Development and International Relations at Aalborg University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management.

Kinyera worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ugandan missions abroad in various capacities. Between 1995 and 1999, she worked in the Africa and Middle East Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she specialised in handling bilateral and regional integration matters.

She was also a core member of the Ugandan delegation during the negotiations preceding the establishment of the East African Community Treaty.

In 1998, she was the Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Regional Cooperation. In 2000, she was a member of the inter-ministerial team set up for the return of Ugandan children abducted to Sudan by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). From 2002 to 2007, Kinyera served as Second Secretary and later as First Secretary at Uganda's mission in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Between 2007 and 2009, she headed the IGAD and Horn of Africa Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which period she was also Uganda's Focal Point for IGAD matters. She also participated in various peace initiatives under the auspices of the AU and IGAD for the resolution of conflicts in Sudan and Somalia.

In 2009, Kinyera was seconded to the State House of Uganda, where she served as Private Secretary to His Excellency the President of Uganda, in charge of diplomatic affairs, and also as Head of the Diplomatic Affairs Department at the State House. She held these responsibilities until 2011, when she was given the mandate to open Uganda's Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. She served as Counsellor and the first Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Uganda's Embassy in Ankara.

During her career, Kinyera also represented Uganda at different multilateral and regional fora, including the East African Community (EAC), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).