Kigezi Bishop emeritus George Katwesigye and his wife Laura Kyansiimire Katwesigye, have for the past five decades, opened Scripture together every single day. As they prepare to celebrate their Golden Jubilee in December this year, the couple reveals that praying and reading the Bible together daily has been the bedrock of a marriage that has weathered every storm. Add to that a habit of apologising whenever one offends the other, and a small altar in their sitting room where they gather each evening with their grandchildren for praise and worship.
“Theological salvation, praying and reading the Bible together, working for the Church, and commitment to remain role models has kept us together for all these years,” says the retired bishop.
From poverty to the pulpit
Born on March 23, 1949, in Nyakarambi, Rukiga District, George Katwesigye is the son of the late Eliphaz Bampebwa and Zewuria Nyakaishiki. His father was a chief church warden; his mother, a dedicated member of the Mothers’ Union.
But the church’s mercy, he says, is what made him. After completing Primary Seven at Kihanga Primary School, his parents could not afford school fees. So the boy formed an association called the Nyakarambi Land Breakers, a group of young boys hired to dig for wealthier families. In 1966, he was hired as a licensed teacher at Kihiihi Primary School in Kanungu District, then transferred to Buzooba Primary School in Rukiga, closer to home. There, his hard work earned him a promotion to deputy head teacher.
Because he was a committed and well-behaved Christian, in 1968 the authorities at Kihanga Church of Uganda parish sponsored him for a two-year lay leader course. He completed it in 1969 with a certificate. By 1970, he had passed interviews, and the Rwenzori Diocese, with a recommendation from the Province of the Church of Uganda, gave him a sponsor for a three-year provincial certificate in theology. On December 12, 1972, he was ordained a deacon. In 1974, after completing a diploma in Theology, he became a priest. The then-Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Janan Luwum, appointed him diocesan secretary of Kampala Diocese, where he also served as treasurer.
A courtship of six months
In 1976, he married his fiancée, Laura, after dating for less than seven months.
“I had always dreamt of marrying a teacher because in those days, teachers were well behaved and respected,” he recalls.
Laura, for her part, was drawn to his words. “He spoke the word of God all the time,” she says. “It was my prayer to marry a born-again Christian.”
After their wedding, Katwesigye was deployed as a priest at All Saints Church, Nakasero, where he served from 1977 to 1990, rising from curate to dean. He later earned a scholarship to study a Bachelor of Theology at the University of Wales, followed by a Master’s degree in the same field. Returning to Uganda, he was posted to St Andrews Church of Uganda, Bukoto, where he spent about five years. In 1997, he was appointed provincial secretary at Namirembe Cathedral; a role in which he led a team to lobby for the establishment of Uganda Christian University, Mukono. On January 18, 1998, he was elected Bishop of Kigezi Diocese. He served until 2014.
I submitted every difficult situation to God
Katwesigye reflects on his 16 years as bishop with characteristic humility.
“I was able to serve because I presented every difficult situation to God for redress. I never used my own wisdom. I always sought God’s guidance, and forgave those who offended me.”
His advice to clergy is direct: “For a church leader to succeed, they must fully accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Love the Christians and serve them wholeheartedly. See church ministry as a calling, not employment. The slogan ‘Let us do God’s work and allow Him to do ours’ can help any clergy succeed, by avoiding the temptation to mix God’s work with petty trade, which brings conflict among believers.”
A wife’s sacrifice
Laura Kyansiimire Katwesigye was born in 1956 in Nyabushabi village, Kyanamira Sub-county, Kabale District. Her late father, James Byandagara, was a church warden at Nyabushabi Church of Uganda. Her late mother, Joyce Byandagara, was a committed Mothers’ Union member. She completed primary school at Nyabushabi Primary School, then joined Kigezi High School, where she finished her O-levels in 1974. She began working as a licensed teacher in various primary schools.
For years, she put her own education on hold to support the family. In 1982, her husband finally allowed her to join Shimoni Primary Teachers’ College to formalise her teaching profession. She later attended Kaliro National Teachers’ College under a recess programme, obtaining a diploma in primary education in 1995.
When her husband was elected bishop, she taught at Hornby Primary School from 1998 to 2004, then transferred to Kigezi High School Lower Primary School, where she taught until her retirement in 2016. She also served as president of the Mothers’ Union for two terms (1998-2006) and again from 2010 until her retirement.
Secrets for a successful marriage
The couple, who have six children and fourteen grandchildren, say trusting God in everything has made both their marriage and their careers successful.
“Saying ‘I am sorry’ whenever one of us offends the other has saved our marriage to this day,” Laura says. “I served 32 years as a primary school teacher because I worked faithfully, understood my job, and loved my profession.”
Bishop Katwesigye adds: “I never used my own wisdom. I always sought God’s guidance.”
In their sitting room stands a small altar. Every evening, they gather there with some of their grandchildren, praising, worshipping, and reminding the next generation that the same God who sustained fifty years of marriage is still in the business of keeping promises. With December 2026 drawing near, the Katwesigyes are preparing a thanksgiving for their five decades of marriage. In those 50 years, they have been blessed with six children and 14 grandchildren. As his parting short, Bishop Katwesigye stresses: “Let us do God’s work and allow Him to do ours.”
They have walked that truth long enough to know it holds.