KAMPALA — Uganda’s creative arts industry is mourning the death of Alex Mukulu, one of the country’s most influential playwrights, actors, directors and musicians, whose career spanned more than four decades.
Mukulu died on Saturday, August 15, 2026, aged 72, leaving behind a body of work that helped shape modern Ugandan theatre and introduced generations of audiences to drama that was simultaneously entertaining, political, cultural and deeply reflective of Ugandan society.
For many Ugandans, Mukulu was more than an actor on a stage. He was a storyteller who used theatre to examine Uganda’s history, politics, culture, poverty, religion, leadership and the experiences of ordinary people.
The early years
Mukulu was born in 1954 in Misebe, in Ssingo County, Buganda. Other biographical accounts identify his birthplace as Namutamba in present-day Mityana District.
He was born to Paulo Kayizi Lugaizi and Victoria Ndagire, a daughter of Prince Yokana Kimbugwe of Lungujja.
He attended Namilyango College before proceeding to Kololo Secondary School for his A-Level education. He later studied Film and Drama at Makerere University in Kampala, an education that helped lay the foundation for his career in the performing arts.
His first play, Muzukulu wa Kabangala, was produced in 1977, marking the beginning of a career that would eventually make him one of Uganda’s best-known playwrights.
A theatre career spanning generations
Mukulu emerged at a time when Ugandan theatre was becoming an important platform for storytelling and social commentary.
Over the decades, he wrote, directed and performed in numerous productions, including Wounds of Africa, The Guest of Honour, Excuse Me Mzungu, Radio Mambo Bado, Dances with Poverty, The Peasants’ Song, Muzukulu wa Kabangala and Journey to Self-Realisation, among others.
The Monitor reported in 2016 that Mukulu had written about 30 plays, demonstrating the scale of his contribution to Uganda’s theatre tradition.
His work was notable for its willingness to move beyond conventional entertainment. He used the stage to ask difficult questions about the country and its people.
The production that made him a household name
Mukulu’s most famous work was arguably 30 Years of Bananas, a political satire first staged in the early 1990s.
The production looked back at Uganda’s political journey since independence in 1962, using caricature, humour and theatre to portray the country’s successive political regimes.
The play became significant because it brought political history into popular theatre at a time when such subjects could be difficult to discuss publicly.
Mukulu later explained that the production was inspired by the political changes that followed the coming to power of the National Resistance Movement government in 1986.
Rather than simply mocking political leaders, he wanted audiences to reflect on Uganda’s history and ask why the country had struggled to develop despite decades of independence.
The play was so influential that 30 Years of Bananas was later published as a book by Oxford University Press in 1993.
Theatre as a mirror of society
Mukulu’s philosophy was that theatre should make people think.
His productions explored political history, social problems, culture, Christianity, poverty and the experiences of young people, children and women.
In a 2024 interview, he explained that his return to the Ugandan stage was motivated by years of observing society and finding new stories to tell.
This ability to connect theatre with the realities of everyday life became one of his defining characteristics.
His stage characters often carried the frustrations, contradictions and hopes of Ugandan society, making his work both artistic and socially reflective.
A cultural ambassador
Mukulu’s influence was not confined to Uganda.
One of his most significant international appearances came during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala, where Journey to Self-Realisation was performed at the opening ceremony.
His performance was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and then Prince Charles and received a standing ovation.
The appearance cemented his reputation as a cultural ambassador capable of presenting Uganda’s artistic identity to an international audience.
A long absence — and a remarkable return
Although Mukulu remained involved in theatre and other creative work, he spent many years away from the Ugandan stage.
In 2024, after a 17-year absence from local theatre, he returned to the National Theatre in Kampala with Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi, an African adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The production transformed Shakespeare’s famous love story through African language, music, lyrics, costumes, dances, culture and stagecraft.
For Mukulu, however, it was not merely an adaptation of a classic story. He used the production to explore themes of love, hatred, conflict and Uganda’s own historical experiences.
The return demonstrated that even after decades in the industry, Mukulu still regarded theatre as a powerful vehicle for asking questions about society.
A mentor and disciplinarian
Mukulu’s contribution extended beyond the productions he created.
He trained and influenced generations of actors and theatre practitioners. Colleagues and commentators remembered him as a demanding director who valued discipline and professionalism.
An academic assessment published through Makerere University described him as a central figure in Ugandan theatre, particularly during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, when he was prominent as a playwright, director and actor.
His influence therefore lives not only in his scripts and performances but also in the artists who learned from him.
Music, radio and other creative work
Mukulu was also a musician and broadcaster.
His creative interests extended beyond theatre into music and radio. In the late 1990s, he worked as a presenter at Radio Simba, where he frequently spoke about his roots and cultural identity.
His personal website also documents music recordings and programmes associated with his work, illustrating the breadth of his artistic interests.
A son of Buganda
Mukulu was also strongly associated with Buganda’s cultural heritage.
Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga, who led tributes following Mukulu’s death, described him as a gifted writer, director, actor, songwriter and singer who loved Buganda’s traditions and culture.
Mayiga also remembered him as a loyal subject of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and praised his contribution to the arts.
This cultural identity was reflected in Mukulu’s work, particularly his use of African stories, language, music and traditions to communicate contemporary social issues.
The legacy
Alex Mukulu belonged to a generation of Ugandan artists who demonstrated that theatre could be much more than entertainment.
He used the stage to revisit Uganda’s political past, challenge society to examine itself, celebrate culture and give audiences stories through which they could understand their own country.
His career stretched from his first production in 1977 to his final years as an elder statesman of Uganda’s creative industry.
His death at 72 therefore marks the end of an era in Ugandan theatre.
But his legacy is unlikely to disappear.
The plays remain. The characters remain. The music remains. The students and actors he influenced remain.
And perhaps most importantly, the questions he placed before Ugandan audiences remain.
Alex Mukulu was a playwright who made Uganda look at itself in the mirror — sometimes through laughter, sometimes through satire, sometimes through history, but always through the power of storytelling.
The post Who Was Alex Mukulu? The Theatre Legend Who Turned Uganda’s History Into Drama appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.