Artisitic impression of burning Uganda Martyrs

At the Namugongo Uganda Martyrs Shrine, there is a shrine for Catholics and Protestants. Many Catholics world over derive a lot of inspiration from the Uganda Martyrs for having died for a faith that was new to them in the late 19^th Century.

These deaths were part of a three-way religious struggle for political control of the Buganda royal court. In 1877, the Church Missionary Society in London had sent Protestant missionaries to the court, followed two years later by the French Catholic White Fathers. These two competed with each other and the Zanzibar-based Muslim traders for converts and influence. By the mid-1880s, many members of the Buganda court had converted and become proxies for the religious and nationalist conflict being played out in the court. Kabaka Mwanga II, upon his ascension to the throne, attempted to destroy the foreign influences he felt threatened the Buganda state, but was instead deposed by armed converts in 1888.

After regaining power, Mwanga II ordered the execution of all Christian coverts who refused to abide by his authority.

Twenty-two of the martyrs were Roman Catholics and were canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 18, 1964. Two other martyrs, Blessed Daudi Okelo and Blessed Jildo Irwa from northern Uganda were beautified and canonized as saints much later, bringing the number of Uganda Martyrs to 24.

Here are the profiles of all the 24 Uganda Martyrs

1. Charles Lwanga
2. Matiya Mulumba Kalemba
3. Kizito
4. Joseph Mukasa Balikudembe
5. Denis Ssebuggwawo
6. Noe Mawaggali
7. Andrew Kaggwa
8. Athanasius Bazzekuketta
9. Pontiano Ngondwe

10.  Gonzaga Gonza

11.  Luke Banabakintu

12.  James Buuzabalyawo

13.  Gyavira Musoke

14.  Ambrose Kibuuka

15.  Achilles Kiwanuka

16.  Anatole Kiriggwajjo

17.  Mbaga Tuzinde

18.  Mugagga Lubowa

19.  Mukasa Kiriwawanvu

20.  Adlophus Mukasa Ludigo

21.  Bruno Sserunkuma

22.  Jean Marie Muzeyi

23.  Daudi Okello

24.  Jildo Irwa

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Uganda Martyr Jildo Irwa

Here everyone loved him because of his availability and exemplary character while performing in his duties as assistant-catechist. Jildo also occasionally acted as secretary to the vice-chief Ogal in Paimol

Jildo Irwa was born around 1906 in the village of Bar-Kitoba, North-West of Kitgum, from pagan parents: Ato, his mother, and Okeny, his father who later became a Christian.Jildo was baptized by Cesare Gambaretto on 6 June 1916, at the age of 10-12 years and was confirmed on 15 October 1916.

On the morning of their martyrdom despite that Daudi warned him about a possible cruel death Jildo insisted on facing death. And since he insisted on facing the cruel death his killers pushed him outside the hut and pierced him with a spear. Then one of them struck Jildo’s head with a knife.

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Uganda Martyr Daudi Okelo

During the weekend of 18-20 October 1918, long before dawn, five people headed for the hut where Daudi and Jildo were staying with the clear intention of killing them. Despite the intervention of the elder who tried to block the intruders, Daudi appeared at the door of his hut and entreated the elder not to get involved. Then the intruders entered into Daudi’s hut and insisted with him that he gave up teaching catechism.

Realising that Daudi was not giving in to their threats, they dragged him outside, pushed him to the ground and pierced him with their spears. His body was then left unburied until a few days later some people, tying a rope around the neck, dragged the body over a nearby empty termite hill.

Daudi Okelo was born around 1902 in Ogom-Payira, a village on the Gulu- Kitgum road. The son of pagan parents, Lodi and Amona, at 14-16 years of age he attended the instruction to receive baptism. Baptized by Fr. Cesare Gambaretto on 1 June 1916, Daudi was confirmed on 15 October 1916. After completing his formation, Daudi accepted to be enrolled as a catechist. At the beginning of 1917, Antonio, the catechist in charge of Paimol, died. Daudi went to Fr. Cesare, then superior at the mission of Kitgum, offering to take Antonio’s place.

Daudi’s appointment came only towards the end of that year, during one of the catechists’ monthly meeting. The young Jildo Irwa was to go with him as his assistant. Before setting off, the two of them went to Fr. Cesare who informed them of the difficulties of their work, like the long travelling distance—the village was about 80 km from Kitgum—and, in particular, the frequent in-fights of the local people, instigated also by gangs of raiders and traders of slaves and gold, sporadically visiting the area. But Daudi was ready to take on the work of God nevertheless.

So around November-December 1917, with Fr. Cesare’s blessing, Boniface, the head-catechist of Kitgum, accompanied Daudi and Jildo to Paimol where they were to begin the work that would later lead to their martyrdom.

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Muzeeyi himself seems to have been blessed with a whole series of different names. When Muzeeyi was still quite young, a sub-chief named Kabega, proceeding on transfer from Ggomba to a new post at Seguku, saw him herding cattle and promptly kidnapped him. On arriving at the capital, he sold the boy to an acquaintance named Bigomba who in turn sold him to the Kabaka for a piece of cloth and a gourd of beer an age too tender to become a page. When he was considered old enough, he became one of the royal pages and when the plague epidemic broke out in 1881, Muzeeyi was granted leave of absence from the Court and went to stay at Mutundwe where he got to know some Christians or catechumens who gave him his first lessons in the Catholic faith.

It was probably on his return from this spell of leave that he joined the group of pages under Joseph Mukasa and quickly endeared himself to that young leader by his thirst for knowledge of the faith. Kiwanuka Muzeeyi was baptized on Sunday November 1st 1885 and given the name John Mary.

Soon after his baptism and confirmation Muzeeyi was forced by the Missionaries to go into hiding. He had to flee for his life from King Mwanga’s rage of killing the Christians. Muzeeyi, with other fugitive Christians, wandered from place to place through forests, marshes, thick jungle etc. Muzeeyi collected the former slaves he had rescued by paying a ransom to the Arabs and Muslim chiefs who had enslaved them and went with him into hiding because their lives were not safe either.

Muzeeyi’s main aim in taking the boys with him was to teach them religion and to save their lives. In spite of the hiding atmosphere, Muzeeyi managed to give religious instructions to some children and catechumens. He had some assistants in the persons of Matthew Kirevu, Joseph Kaddu, Matthew Kisuule, Cyprian Kamya and others.

King Mwanga learnt of some Christians in hiding, Muzeeyi in particular. The king was bent on eliminating them so that he could stamp out Christianity in his kingdom but geting them out of hiding was his problem. He then tricked them when he falsely announced that he had forgiven all Christians and there was no longer any reason for their continued stay in hiding. Although Muzeeyi foresaw the king’s trick, he decided to come out of hiding and test King Mwanga’s sincerity. But then the moment he set his eyes on Muzeeyi, he ordered for the immediate slaughter of the martyr.

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On one occasion King Mwanga gave him two beautiful girls in appreciation for his good service at the palace whom he gladly took home as his wives. When his fellow catholics, Lwanga and Andrew Kaggwa in particular, learnt of it, they rebuked Sserunkuma for the illegal marriage. Good enough, Sserunkuuma adhered to his friends’ rebuke and went to Fr. Lourdel for confession. He made a sincere and determinant confession.

As a result Sserunkuuma abandoned the two wives and all his property and went to live in seclusion at the other end of the palace with just minimum necessities of life. This is where he devoted himself to prayer, penance, and the teaching of religion. This is where the Christian persecution found him and he bravely offered himself to die for Christ.

Bruno Sserunkuuma was Muganda from Buddu county. His father was Namunjulirwa and mother Ndibaliza. He was of Sheep (Ndiga) clan -Ovis.

Sserunkuuma was the son of Pookino (the county chief of Buddu) named Namujulirwa of the Ndiga (sheep) clan. He was baptized 15 November 1885 (the day their leader, Joseph Balikuddembe died) by Pere Giraud and was burnt alive in the Namugongo furnace on the Ascension day, Thursday 3rd June 1886 at the age of 30. Sserunkuuma is the patron of; Penitents, tempted to lust of flesh, to drinking, violence and unlawful marriages.

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Mugagga Lubowa was a Muganda from Mawookota. His father was Mazinga and his mother Nassubwa. Mugagga Lubowa, one of the pages persistently solicited by Mwanga without success, belonged to the Leopard (Ngo) Clan. His father, Mazinga, who later became a Protestant and took the name Isaiah, had three wives. The first, Tigalya, was a great-aunt of Seddu Kakinda, the royal bark-cloth maker. The second wife, Nassubwa, was the mother of the martyr and of four other children.

Mazinga, because of the relationship by marriage, through his first wife, received patronage and assistance from Seddu Kakinda who was also head of the Yam-fruit (Kkobe) Clan. Kakinda established Mazinga and his family upon one of his estates at Jjalambwa, in Mawokota County, where Mugagga was born about the year 1870.

Uganda Martyr Mugagga Lubowa

Following the common Kiganda practice, Mugagga was sent, as a young boy, to the household of Seddu Kakinda, who brought him up as his own child and presented him at Court when Mwanga became Kabaka. He was a page in the inner private courts of King Mwanga II and he was baptized on 26th May 1886 by Charles Lwanga. He was burnt alive in the Namugongo furnace on the Ascension Day, Thursday 3rd June 1886 at the age of between 16 and 17. Mugagga Lubowa is the patron of Clubs, Tailors and Community Development.

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But even when he was left with his relatives and family for one week he firmly stood by his decision to die for his faith something that enthralled his fellow martyrs when they leant that he had managed to resist the pleas of his family and relatives to abandon the faith and live. By the end of that week the Martyrs who had been praying for him had almost given up but only to see the Tuzinde being returned for execution.

Mbaaga Tuzinde, a youth of about seventeen to eighteen at the time of his martyrdom, was known as the son of Mukajanga, the chief executioner, in whose household he was brought up and who presented him at Court.

Although they belonged to different clans, their grandfathers, Kikonyogo and Salasamba respectively had been very close friends and had made a blood-pact together. This had in effect made them brothers but because Mukaajanga was much older and had been entrusted with the task of bringing up the lad, Tuzinde took him as a father. This explains why Execution Chief Mukajanga repeatedly entreated Mbaaga Tuzinde, pleading desperately with the boy to renounce his religion.

Uganda Martyr Mbaga Tuzinde

However the seventeen-year-old boy, baptized that morning by Charles Lwanga, firmly rejected the offer. The executioner had no choice but to let the boy be tied up along with his Christian friends.  Mukaajanga was heartbroken and distraught at having to commit to the flames his obstinate but lovable son. Out of pity, to spare him suffering, on the day of execution he ordered his assistants to club the boy on the nape of the neck, and throw his lifeless body into the flames. They took him some little distance apart and did so, killing him instantly.

Mbaaga Tuzinde was born at Bunyonga in Busiro County. His real parents were Katamiza Waggumbulizi of the Lungfish (Mamba) Clan, who had ten wives, and Mmumanvi Bukuwa of the Yamfruit (Kkobe) Clan. His clan name was Tuzinde; the name Mbaaga being, in fact, a nickname which he acquired from his work at the Court.

He began his instructions in the Catholic faith when he became a page at the accession of Mwanga and was still a catechumen when the persecution broke out in May 1886. Charles Lwanga baptized him on the morning that the pages were arrested.

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Uganda Martyr Anatoli Kiriggwajjo

Kisomose had already been degraded and relegated to a small sub-chieftainship before the arrival of Speke and Grant in 1862, so it must have been much later that, possibly with an eye to regaining the royal favour, he presented to the Kabaka his Munyoro slave-boy, Kiriggwajjo.

Muteesa employed the lad in his own private apartments until the end of his reign, and it was during this period of service that Kiriggwajjo first put himself under instruction. After the departure of the priests, he continued his study of the Catholic religion under the guidance of Joseph Mukasa and John Mary Muzeeyi.

Meanwhile he had been on familiar and friendly terms with the young Prince Mwanga, by whom he was recalled to serve in the court of the audience hall, although he did not again take up residence in the royal enclosure. Later, the young Kabaka singled him out for promotion to a post of importance at court but, as this position exposed the holder to considerable moral danger. One day the king called up Anatoli Kiriggwajjo and entrusted him with a special and big responsibility of caring for the king’s wives in their different and various needs.

These women were fond of using tactful sexual ensnares to win men and indulge the men into sexual encounters with them. Though turning down such an appointment would put Kiriggwajjo in danger of facing death, he firmly turned down the appointment at the risk of losing his life.

His refusal offended the young Kabaka although Mwanga never made much of it at the time. Nonetheless it kept on rankling in his mind and contributed to the death of the Munyoro page later.

Later Mwanga without any just cause sent for Kiriggwajjo whom he committed to prison, where his fellow Christians would shortly join him. 
From prison, Anatoli Kiriggwajjo, a young man of about 20 years of age, was joined to his fellow Christians on their last journey to Namugongo where they were burnt to death on Thursday 3rd June 1886 (Ascension Day).

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Uganda Martyr Achilles Kiwanuka

Achilles Kiwanuka belonged to the Scaly Ant-eater (Lugave) Clan, and he was 17 years of age at the time of his death at Namugongo. 
Kiwanuka was born at Lulagala in Ssingo County. His father was Kyazze, the son of a former Chancellor and the Martyr’s mother was Nassaza Talidda of the Civet-cat (Ffumbe) clan.

After the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa, Kiwanuka, together with other pages, preempted that they too would martyred soon and as a result stole by night to the Catholic mission to ask for immediate baptism.

Pere Lourdel baptized them on the night of 16 November 1885, receiving the name Achilles. Achilles Kiwanuka was burnt alive in the Namugongo fires with other Martyrs on the afternoon of June 3, 1886.
Achilles Kiwanuka is the patron of Clerks, Press, Journalists and Writers.

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Uganda Martyr Ambrose Kibuuka

After his baptism, Ambrose Kibuuka, quite aware that the he would be martyred soon, went to bid farewell to his parents. He firmly resisted all their entreaties to abandon the religion that placed him in such peril, and returned to his post to await his fate, which didn’t take long.

After the condemnation to death of the Christians on 26th May 1886, Kibuuka was one of the 13 martyrs taken and burnt alive in the Namugongo furnace on Thursday, 3rd June 1886 (Ascension Day).

Ambrose Kibuuka Katikamu was born in Ssingo County, at Butuzzaliiso (Bunyiga). His mother was Ampera, and his father, Kisuule, was a former official drumbeater to the Kabaka. Ambrose Kibuuka belonged to the Scaly Ant-eater (Lugave) Clan, and was eighteen at the time of his death at Namugongo.

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