Kalangala Woman MP Helen Nakimuli Dies Following Surgical Procedure

Helen Nakimuli (2 July 1985 – 19 April 2026), a Ugandan politician, legislator, and athlete, has died following a surgical procedure. She was 40.

Nakimuli served as the Women’s Representative for Kalangala District in the 11th and 12th Parliaments of Uganda. She was affiliated with the National Unity Platform (NUP), where she also held the role of Head of Communication and Anti-Corruption.

Born in Lukuba village, Kyamuswa sub-county, Kalangala District, Nakimuli was the daughter of Christopher Walusimbi, a Greek Orthodox priest, and Maria Nalwanga Walusimbi, a former district councillor. She attended Bukasa Primary School and Hormisdallen Primary School in Bweyogerere (Wakiso District), later studying at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Gayaza and St. Augustine Secondary School in Wakiso, where she served as head girl. She later studied at Makerere University.

She entered national politics after being elected Woman MP for Kalangala District, defeating Aidah Nabayiga, and became widely known as the “Pearl of Kalangala” for her advocacy and community presence.

Her parliamentary and community work included supporting widows in property rights disputes, donating relief supplies to vulnerable communities, assisting victims of house fires, and advocating for inclusion of island districts such as Buvuma and Namayingo in government programs like Emyooga.

Alongside politics, Nakimuli was also active in sports. She played volleyball from 1998, captained a parliamentary women’s volleyball team at the East African Parliamentary Games in Arusha, Tanzania, and played for COBAP Volleyball Club.

She received an ecclesiastical medal from Theodore II of Alexandria, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, in recognition of her service to the Eastern Orthodox Church in Uganda and humanitarian causes.

Reported by Issa Kigongo