The Buganda Kingdom has defended Ssekabaka Mwanga II over the killings of present-day Uganda Martyrs, saying the individuals had ‘committed treason’.
Some 45 courtiers and subjects of the then the king, mainly young men, decamped to embrace Christianity against palace decree, prompting the sovereign to order their execution between 1885-1887.
Twenty-two of them, who had converted to Catholic faith, were beatified in 1920 and Pope Paul IV canonised them in October 1964, officially making them Saints.
The rest subscribed to Anglican faith and were, by the church’s tradition, recognised as martyrs upon their deaths for reason of faith. Collectively called the Uganda Martyrs, they are celebrated every June 3, which falls today, with the main events at Namugongo Catholic Shrine and Anglican Martyrs Site, both in Wakiso District, attracting thousands of pilgrims from across the world. They are globally revered with special prayers to honour and seek their intercession and many institutions and roads in various countries are named after them, keeping their memories alive and granting Uganda a world-wide visibility marketable for tourism.
In an interview on June 28, ahead of the Martyrs Day anniversary whose communal celebration this year was deferred over the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease, Buganda Kingdom Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga said Mwanga II ordered the killing of the Martyrs ‘because they breached the law’. ‘They committed treason. In the eyes of the king and his officials, at that time, they committed treason … Today, we talk about freedoms, including religious freedom. We didn’t know about those freedoms in the 19th Century [when the martyrs were executed],’ he said.
He added: ‘They (rights) didn’t exist. The freedom you had was that which was guaranteed by the King. And if you felt that the King was against that freedom, most of the time you were going to be punished. So, these people [present-day martyrs] were in breach of the law, never mind that it was about religion.’ Katikkiro framed the circumstances of the killing of the martyrs, some 140 years ago, as one of existential threats posed by missionaries to an absolute monarch.
‘When the king wanted to be served by his officials and servants and they were attending Christian instruction instead, that was going to offend him,’ Mr Mayiga noted, adding, ‘He (Mwanga II) had to give them an ultimatum to choose between their newly-found God and him. When they opted for the newly-found God, he punished them.’ According to the Katikkiro, ‘Kabaka Mwanga would never appreciate Jesus as king, prophet and priest”, although he acknowledged that the martyrs today have become “pillars of faith”. ‘That is how Christians describe Christ; priest, prophet and king. Referring to Christ as king would rile the Kabaka (Mwanga) because he was the king above everybody else,’ he said.
Whereas these accounts build on existing scholarly writings about the historical events surrounding the Uganda Martyrs, it is the first time the prime minister of Buganda, who governs the Kingdom on behalf of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, lends them a public endorsement. In a rejoinder yesterday, Rev Fr Dr Daniel Musiitwa, the executive secretary of Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), said the martyrs died as witnesses of Christ, choosing to stand on the side of God rather than conform to the demands of the King of Buganda.
‘From the state’s (Buganda’s) perspective, they were seen as betrayers, but for the Church, they are heroes. They remained faithful to their values and beliefs, and they were prepared to die for them,’ he said. UJCC is an ecumenical organisation that brings together Christian faiths to promote mutual understanding and unity, according to information on its website. Both Rev Fr Musiitwa and Katikkiro Mayiga, in the separate interviews with this publication, acknowledged strong relations between Mengo and the churches and the differences – based on time and context – in narratives about the martyrs.
‘Many people from Buganda participate in the celebrations, but they do so as members of the Church and the wider community rather than as representatives of the kingdom,’ he said. The principals separately dismissed any suggestions of tension between the two sides over the Uganda Martyrs Day and downplayed a need for them to work together to co-organise the event observed annually. ‘Mengo is filled with many people, a number of who are non-Christians,’ said Katikkiro Mayiga, ‘However, we urge that as the Christians commemorate this day, they pay respects to Kabaka Muteesa I, who invited the teachers/missionaries, and Kabaka Mwanga II, whose courage in fighting for the sovereignty of his kingdom acted as the catalyst for the spread of Christianity in Uganda’.
Mr Mayiga praised the historic role played by Buganda’s kings in shaping modern Uganda, saying the kingdom opened the door to Christianity, Islam and international engagement long before the formation of the modern Ugandan state. Kabaka Muteesa I and Kabaka Mwanga II, he noted, presided over one of the most transformative periods in Uganda’s history, helping lay the cultural, political and religious foundation upon which present-day Uganda was built. The Katikkiro said the spread of Christianity and Islam across Uganda can be traced back to Buganda’s openness to foreign religions and ideas during the 19th century.
In April 1875, Muteesa I wrote to Queen Victoria of Britain through explorer Morton Stanley, asking the monarch to send missionaries, traders and teachers to spread the gospel, teach entrepreneurship and impart western education. The Katikkiro in the April 28 interview argued that the invitation accelerated the spread of Christianity, deepened foreign influence in the kingdom and set into motion political developments that later contributed to the creation of modern Uganda. ‘Who is actually the father of the nation called Uganda? Uganda’s formation starts with Muteesa’s letter to Queen Victoria. People are now Christians and they should be happy about that,’ he added.