Government has released the official mourning and burial programme for Santa Laker Kinyera, Uganda’s Deputy High Commissioner to Rwanda, who passed away earlier this week.
The programme outlines a series of funeral rites and remembrance activities that will take place in Kampala and Amuru District, culminating in her burial on March 14.
According to the schedule released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 12 at Our Lady of Africa Church starting at 10:00 a.m.
The service is expected to attract senior government officials, diplomats, colleagues, friends and family members who worked closely with the late ambassador during her distinguished career in Uganda’s Foreign Service.
Later the same day, mourners will gather for a vigil beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the family residence located at Naalya Heights in Naalya.
The vigil will provide an opportunity for friends, relatives and colleagues to pay their respects and celebrate the life of a diplomat widely respected for her dedication and professionalism.
On Friday, March 13, the body will depart Kampala for northern Uganda, with the convoy heading to Gulu and Amuru District, where an evening vigil will be held upon arrival.
The final burial ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 14 at 10:00 a.m. in Lacor–Akurukwe, Amuru District, the late ambassador’s ancestral home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called upon colleagues, friends and members of the public who knew Amb. Kinyera to stand in solidarity with her family during the period of mourning.
“May her legacy of grace, professionalism and commitment to diplomacy continue to inspire generations to come,” the ministry said in a tribute message.
Amb. Kinyera joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 as a career diplomat and rose steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming Uganda’s Deputy High Commissioner in Kigali. Throughout her career, she played a key role in strengthening bilateral ties and advancing Uganda’s diplomatic interests within the region.
Her death has been widely mourned within diplomatic circles, with colleagues remembering her as a disciplined and principled officer whose service spanned more than three decades.
