Kampala, Dec 20 (IANS): Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that the country's second Deputy Prime Minister Ali Kirunda Kivejinja died of the novel coronavirus at a hospital in the capital Kampala.

Addressing his 2021-2026 re-election campaign rally in the western city of Hoima, Museveni said on Saturday that Kivejinja who had been admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital intensive care unit succumbed to the virus, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It's very sad. Kirunda Kivejinja has died. We have been telling people that this COVID-19 is a killer but people have been joking," said Museveni.

He said two female lawmakers, Robina Ssentogo, the district MP for Kyotera and Fred Mubanda Kasse for Masaka district also succumbed to the deadly disease.

Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said the death of Kivenjija was a great loss to the east African country.

"His passing is a huge loss to the country of a great Pan-Africanist and repository of our history and journey of social, political and economic transformation," said Rugunda.

As of Saturday, Uganda had registered 230 deaths, 30,702 coronavirus cases and 10,360 recoveries since the onset of the pandemic in March, according to the Health Ministry.