Kampala — Veteran Ugandan playwright and theatre practitioner Alex Mukulu has died at the age of 72.
Mukulu, who was also an actor and filmmaker, died after a career spanning more than four decades. His death was reported by Ugandan media outlets on Saturday, with tributes already emerging from the country’s creative community.
The circumstances surrounding his death had not been publicly disclosed by press time.
Born in 1954 in Misebe, Ssingo County, Mukulu studied film and drama at Makerere University after attending Kololo Secondary School.
He became one of the prominent figures in Uganda’s protest theatre movement, using drama to examine political, social and cultural issues.
Among his notable works were Wounds of Africa (1988), 30 Years of Bananas (1991), Excuse Me Mzungu (1992) and The Guest of Honour (1994).
Mukulu’s Journey to Self-Realization was performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala in 2007.
He was also behind productions such as Muzukulu wa Kabangala, I Killed the Archbishop, A Good Muganda Case and The People’s President.
In 2024, Mukulu returned to the stage after a long absence with Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi, an African adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The production was staged at the National Theatre in Kampala.
Throughout his career, Mukulu used theatre as a platform to challenge audiences on questions of political leadership, inequality, identity and social change.
Artists, journalists and other cultural practitioners have since paid tribute to him, describing him as a bold and principled figure whose work left a lasting mark on Uganda’s performing arts.
His death brings to an end the career of one of Uganda’s better-known theatre voices, whose productions helped establish theatre as an important platform for social commentary.
Funeral arrangements and further details from his family are expected to be communicated later.
