Church of Uganda Makes 140 Years

140 years ago, the first Anglican Church  Missionaries  from the Church Missionary Society arrived in Uganda, thus officially starting the Anglican Church of Uganda.

The 140 years have happened silently without the Anglican Church in Uganda holding thanksgiving prayers or doing anything to commemorate such a milestone. If I were part of the leadership of the Church, this day would be celebrated annually with an open air crusade at Munyonyo- Mulungu Landing site where the first Missionaries landed on June 30, 1877.

On this day June 30, 1877, two Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries from the Church of England arrived in Uganda through Munyonyo Mulungu port. They were taken directly to Kabaka Muteesa I 's palace at Lubaga.

The two were Lt. Shargold Smith and Rev. CT Wilson. Alexander Murdoch Mackay joined them later in November of The same year.

Missionaries at Kabaka Muteesa's Palace in Lubaga

The two were part of a team of missionaries that had responded to Muteesa's famous letter that had appeared in The daily telegraph requesting for missionaries. In 1875, Henry Morton Stanley met Kabaka Muteesa at his Lubaga Palace where the present day Lubaga Cathedral sits and preached to him. The outcome was that famous letter that brought Christianity and western civilization to Uganda.

Ssekabaka Muteesa I

The Leader of the CMS was Lieutenant Shergold Smith whose Royal Nav career was ended by losing sight in one eye after an attack of fever; Smith had known enough of Agfrica and its troubles to want to stay there in another role.

Smith is said to have written a note asking to be sent to Africa to serve in another capacity and that’s how he became a missionary. In His book entitled Eating Uganda: From Christianity to Conquest, Cedric Pulford writes that Smith struck the right note, telling the society, “Send me out in any capacity, I am willing to take the lowest place.” Aware of his capabilities, the recruiters sensibly decided otherwise.

Muteesa I

He had to march 600miles from Zanzibar to Munyonyo – Mulungu landing site along the shores of Lake Victoria. They started the expedition with their missionaries’ own boat carried in parts that would take them across to Buganda. The CMS party went off in sections, Mackay left on August 27, 1876, in the company of two (unrelated) Smiths – his great friend, Dr. John Smith, and the expedition leader. Ahead of them was a trek of about three month. It must have been a disappointment to Mackay that after 73 days he had to turn back. Seriously ill with fever, he returned to the coast helped and often carried, by faithful bearers.

The book goes on to report that the party found it necessary to split into several parts. Shergold Smith and an ordained man C.T. Wilson had the honour of being the first missionaries in Buganda. Crossing the lake, Smith had met with a personal tragedy. They were stoned by inhabitants of an island en route. Broken glass from his spectacles went into  his one sighted eye, and blinded him. The  horror of being so handicapped in such a situation is almost unimaginable. Neverthless, they continued, reaching Rubaga on June 30, 1877. The next day, the Sunday, was passed in retirement. They called on Muteesa on Monday. This is what Smith wrote about the meeting with Kabaka Muteesa I

“This was our reception. I could not see, so my report is that of ear.

“The King rose as we entered, and advanced to the edge of his carpet and shook hands. A fine fellow over six feet, broad shoulders and well made; grace, dignity and absence of affectation in his manner. He motioned us to seats. Then five minutes were allowed for drum beating and looking round. I longed for sight to see.

“ Calling one of our guides, I heard his animated report. Then the Sultan of Zanzibar’s letter was read, after which the CMS’s .

“It was read in Swahilli by a young fellow named Mufta [he was also called Dallington], one of the boys Stanley had brought with him and left with the king at his request to teach him to read the Bible. At the first pause, the king ordered a fue de joie to be fired and a general rejoicing for the letter; but at the end, where it was said that it was the religion of Jesus Christ which was h foundation England’s  greatness and happiness and would be of his kingdom also, he half rose from his seat, called his head musician, Tole, to him and ordered a more vigorous rejoicing  to be made…

Archbishop Stanley Ntagali laying a memorial stone at Munyonyo Mulungu

“The following day we went twice. In the morning it was a full court as before, and from some cause he seemed suspicious of us and questioned us about Gordon and rather wanted to bully us into making powder and shot, saying ‘Now my heart is not good’ We said we came to do as the letter told him, not to make powder and shot and if he wished it, we would not stay. He paused for some time and then said, ‘What have you come for – to teach my people to read and write?’ We said ‘Yes and whatever useful arts we and those coming may know.’ The he said, ‘Now my heart is good: England is my friend. I have one hand in Uganda and the other in England.’

Clergy attend a Musa Mukasa Memorial service at Munyonyo
June 30, should be a day to comemorate the coming to Uganda of the CMS Missionaries

“He asked after Queen Victoria and asked to know which was greatest, she or the Khedive of Egypt. The relative size of their dominions was explained to him and referring him to our letter, I said how desirous England was that his kingdom should be prosperous…”

Shergold Smith was soon to die He and another mission member, T, O’Neill, were massacred with most of their party on Ukerewe Island on the South Side of Lake Victoria, aftere gallantly refusing to give up an Arab fugitive they were sheltering. Mackay’s great friend John Smith, also died of fever.

Alexandar Murdoc Mackay

Alexandar  M. Mackay (1849-1890) was a pioneer engineer-missionary to Uganda. Arrived in Zanzibar in 1876; he reached Uganda in 1878. Built 230 miles of road to Uganda from the coast. Translated Matthew's Gospel into Luganda. Died in 1890 having spent fourteen years in Africa without once returning home to native Scotland.

here was no road to Uganda, so his first work on his arrival in East Africa was to build such a road from Mpwapwa, two hundred and thirty miles inland. It was no plaything, this. His companions retired, one after another, on account of ill-health, and the last two were murdered, but Mackay went on steadily and fearlessly. For two years he toiled north-westward, towards the great lake.

Lieutenant Smith and Mr. O'Neill, his two companions, had transported a sailing boat to Lake Victoria, but they were killed; and when Mackay reached that great inland water basin, at the south end of it, at a place called Kagei, he found that the Daisy had been destroyed by white ants, hippos, and the heat of the sun. So, after building the road, he built a boat; and when this was finished, he made friends with the murderer of his two companions, Chief Lkonge, on the Island Ukerewe.

The call to Uganda had come to him in January, 1876. In November, 1878, Mackay entered Ntebe, the harbor of Uganda, and five days afterwards was in the capital of the country, Rubage, a place now known as Mengo.

Mtesa, the Kabaka (king of the country), welcomed him, and his real life-work began.

Dr Byabashaija talks about capital punishment at Rotary club of Kajjansi

Did you know that the Commisisoner General of Prisons Rotarian Canon Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, the Chief Jailer of Uganda has  a lot of humour and enjoys his job more than you can ever imagine?!

Dr. Johnson on Capital Punishment

Wednesday 31st May 2017 was a joint fellowship of all the Wednesday Clubs in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso Districts.

The Rotary Club of Kajjansi organised  the fellowship that was attended by all  Wednesday Clubs, the numbers were massive and  here’s no doubt that all who attended enjoyed every minute of the fellowship.

The topic for discussion was “Capital Punishment in Uganda” and the main presenter was Dr. Johnson Byabashaija.

Below is a transcription of what he had to tell Rotarians present.

Dr. Johnson Byabashaija talking to the Rotarians at Kajjansi

When  you are sentenced to death and you are to be executed, we take you to what they call the pre-execution chamber. That’s the room from which they will take you to do the cat walk to the other scaffold of ours. You are taken to the pre-execution chamber for three days to enable you communicate with your relatives and write a Will if you so wish.

 You know, God created us in a way that you do not know the day they are supposed to die. It’s only us  in this situation who tell you when you are going to die.  We give you time to write a will , we give you time to opt for a religious leader of your choice, to give you the last prayer before you meet your Lord  and we give you option to eat  the food you like most.
That’s why you have to be in that room.

When that one is happening, I invite my executioner because for obvious reasons, he stays up country.

(someone interjects and says Nalufeenya) laughter from the members
 I don’t know why people think Nalufenya is a prison,. It is not. It is a Police Station. Even the president recently asked me that,  that prison of yours where we keep those people in Jinja. I asked him which one? Kirinnya and he said No and someone said Nalufenya and said yes Nalufenya. But I told him that it was a Police Station not a prison facility.

 But of course  our executioner stays  up country and has two assistants. We don’t leave anything to chance. I forgot to tell you that I have done this work of mine with a lot of passion. With  due diligence, I am a professional jailer and I have led my staff to work as professional as possible. That’s why we make very few mistakes, very few if any. Very few mistakes because we know what we are doing.
As a vet, it never occurred to me that I can be a jailer. but i found myself there and said let me do it. So three days are over,  as you  are writing your will and what not, then my executioner comes  and we keep him in a good place like Hotel Africana,  then he come to check the equipment that it is functional. That equipment is always functional

In Uganda, execution is by hanging, so there’s a rope which is put around your neck and we open the trap door so that you fall down. So we have to be very careful about these things, that the rope is sound,  that you don’t have excess wait which will break the rope  and we have to know your height such that your legs will not touch the ground. So we have to measure your weight and height and we adjust the rope appropriately so that when we open the outdoor,  the rope gets you and you hung so that the legs don’t  touch the ground

Dr. Johnson receives a plaque from DGE Ken Mugisha

After the expiry of the 72 hours, the day of execution is in place and the executioner leads you to the scuffold.  Under normal circumstances, we cover your face. We have an execution Uniform we give you.. You know these uniforms which we have, yellow, purple, orange etc. We also have a uniform for execution which is khaki including a hood. Recently when they were executing Saddam Hussein, I saw  he didn’t want the hood on. very courageous man.  He was executed without a hood.

The man puts a hood on you and takes you to the scaffold and puts a rope around your neck and  he opens the lever and opens the trap door and you fall and in my career, I have not seen anyone escaping.

Your name is put in the execution register. They write the age, the district where you come from, the sex and the date  of execution. Then the executioner signs that  you have been executed. Then the doctor signs that you are dead and the officer in charge of the prison signs.

The doctor must make sure that this person has died. That’s why Benson is laughing because I see Benson has an experience. He was our long standing director of health services and he  started the Directorate of Health Services in the Prisons. He is a very great man. (applause) Unfortunately, we don’t give the body to relatives. Executed prisoner is a state property. We burry them ourselves, we have our limbo where  we bury them, we map who is buried where and we do it ourselves. I don’t know why but that’s the ritual. An you are history. That’s how we carry out execution. As I told you, in my career, I have not heard or seen anyone who has escaped this. Anybody we have put to the gallows has died. As I told you, the last time we executed in April 29th, 1999, we executed 21 people. We invariably execute people after midnight because we don’t want to disturb anybody. That’s not a very simple activity whereby you are causing death legally.

DGE Ken Mugisha was among the rotarians that attended

As I told you, we as people do not like capital punishment we actually oppose it . My executioner, I cannot tell you the name when I am looking at him,  I don’t know whether he is ok mentally. (laughters) Actually when I see him in my camera, my CCTV I  always call my secretary, you find out what that man actually wants before  he even reaches my office. My Secretary here knows that I am talking about. First of all he is very heavy. I don’t know who is as big as him here. This man is really heavy. He doesn’t get a lot of money of course he prefers  that there are executions every other day. He usually asks me every after elections. He comes and asks me that elections are over why aren’t there any executions. I don’t know the effect he has. The current one started his job in 1991. What effect does it have on his brain for executing so many people? We just keep him up country, not giving him any other work. He earns his money .

That’s what I can say about capital Punishment in Uganda. Capital punishment in other countries will be for another day. Let me  tell you about one man Piere Pont was an executioner in the United Kingdom and I don’t know how he came to like his work in that he became so professional that  he was proud of it. After second world war, when the Nuremburg trials  started  and people were sentenced to death,   they had to call him from Britain to go to Germany to carry out the  executions. They were very many and he prided in himself  in having executed 99 people  efficiently.  Thank you very much for listening to me in my club here. I have not been here for quiet some time because of the schedule of duties. It is worthwhile to see you colleagues.

Before fixing a pin on his lapel, DGE Ken Mugisha said that  Dr. Johnson  has made a lot of savings to support the Rotary Foundation.

Dr.Johnson receives his pin

“He has promised to become a major donor” said DGE Ken.
He went on to thank him for offering Prison facilities for the Mission Green project.  “The biggest destroyers of the environment are the prisons where he comes from. I happened to go and pay him a visit and I told him he has to support Rotary Mission Green and he accepted to give us all the 251 Prisons to plant trees on top of giving us manpower, thats his staff and the prisoners to make sure we restore the  environment”  he said.