The day we buried Kadumukasa Kironde, the sun shone over Manyangwa in Wakiso District. There was no angry weather, just a golden glow, washing over the procession of mourners as they lined up first, to see him off at the graveside, and later as they drove off, leaving him behind in his eternal home.
Prayers had been said and speeches made over several days but this gentle falling of the curtain signalled the close of Kadumukasa’s final act. Finally, on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in the cool shade of an avocado tree in Gayaza, we laid a good man to rest. That is when it began to sink in. Apollo Kadumukasa Kironde is gone.
From our last conversation, one of many, that will forever be seared in my memory, I can hear his deep, clipped British accented voice over the phone, brimming with a smile that I could not see but was sure was there on the other end of the line. He teased me about being flaky and not calling enough, then pitched a story idea. With our laughter trailing off into the distance, he introduced me to someone and got off the line. And that was my final chat with Kadumukasa Kironde at the end of April this year.
I first met Kironde in the early 2000s at Sunday Vision. I was a budding writer then. My interview with him for the weekend column titled ‘Turning Point’ kicked off a friendship spanning a little over two decades. Born on August 20, 1946, Kadumukasa would have been 80 this year. Even though he was several decades my senior, we related as equals.
For more than two decades, Kadumukasa Kironde served as a food critic for the New Vision and later the Daily Monitor. If you followed his food adventures, he dined at all the best hotels, fancy restaurants, interesting local food joints and everything in between. He was not just a food critic. He was a great chef. When he started to cook, no matter what talents you thought you had, you had better surrender the kitchen and let him create art. Food was one of his great loves. It never let him down and he loved it back.
Officially, I was one of several editors who oversaw the publication of Kadumukasa’s food column in the Sunday Monitor for more than a decade. As a columnist, he was diligent. An editor’s dream. He submitted his column in time every week. The grammar and diction were top notch. He was creative too. Sometimes he switched things up, just so, giving his readers variety and flair. He also gave regular, spirited feedback on the rest of our publication. It was good to have him out there, giving constructive criticism on the content and responding to his contacts on our behalf when there were errors or miscommunication in our publications. As an editor, it was useful to have his ear.
Outside of his regular column, Kadumukasa was overflowing with ideas. In March this year, when I pitched him an idea, not only did he reply with typical enthusiasm, he also researched around it and sent me more than 10 recommendations on the subject.
More than once, he engaged me on extracurricular projects and even took me on a field trip to a fine café in the suburbs of Kampala. Once there, he introduced me to another of his contacts. When he was sold on a dream, he came along and devoted much time and energy. Kadumukasa never did anything in half measures. He always gave 110 per cent.
Besides being a celebrated chef, he was a most generous and meticulous host. As a professional, Kadumukasa had honed his craft but when he cooked for friends and family, that is when he truly came alive. At his invitation, I dined at his house more than once. Many of his close friends will tell you they were similarly treated.
He kept in touch with family and friends, called regularly and sent news updates. He remembered his manners all the time, cared deeply for his children and still had enough to share with the rest of the world.
On Tuesday May 26, a few hours after Kadumukasa’s demise, Sentie’s Kitchen, a popular culinary establishment in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, posted on the news of his death on their Instagram page. A brainchild of Senteza ‘Sentie’ Kironde, son of Kadumukasa Kironde, who followed his father into the kitchen at the tender age of nine, Sentie’s Kitchen is the next generation of Kadumukasa Kironde’s culinary legacy.
Kadumukasa Kironde is survived by seven children and his wife Mirembe Nekesa Kironde. Even though he had had some physical complaints towards the end, the high energy with which he functioned, makes the concept of his death almost unbelievable.
Kadumukasa breathed his last on Monday, May 25, 2026 at Rubaga Hospital in Kampala but even though he is gone, it is not the end. He taught many, inspired thousands and fed the multitudes.
A Bible reference has never been more apt as the one quoted by the Very Rev. Dr Alex Kasirye-Musoke, grandfather of Kadumukasa’s children: In his funereal sermon, Rev Kasirye drew parallels between Jesus’ example of feeding the multitudes in the gospel of John, Chapter six, verse 5 and Kadumukasa’s cooking:
‘When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do…’
Apolo Kadumukasa Kironde never struggled with the question of feeding others. He just did it. While his earthly work is done, his works will live on for a long time. For me, it is goodbye but with a twist, Kadum style. In my messages, he left me more than 10 recommendations and two contacts worth of unfinished business. Fare thee well Kadumukasa. Your afterglow is still here with us. You made sure of that.