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Summer 2003

A Modern Martyr:
Janani Jakaliya Luwum (1922-1977)
Anglican Archbishop of Uganda

Biographical Sketch by William J. Myers

Ugandans know death well. With a population of about 24.7 million, it is estimated that some 1.05 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS. Life Expectancy is estimated at 54 years at birth (Uganda AIDS commission 2003). Truly, life is difficult in Uganda. Difficult, yes, but in the 1970's, under General Idi Amin, life was cheap. Amin seized power in 1971 from President Milton Obote and began a series of mass killings aimed at "weeding out" enemies. "Bodies were regularly found floating on Lake Victoria or caught amongst the papyrus, or buried carelessly in shallow graves. Others were burned in petrol fires or simply thrown into the bush and left there to rot or be eaten by wild beasts. There was the smell of death from the marshes. The crocodiles which basked contentedly on the banks of the River Nile were fat" (Ford 1978. p.67) So many bodies were fed to the crocodiles that the intake ducts were often clogged with remains at the hydroelectric plant of Jinja. One of the "enemies" "weeded out" by Idi Amin was Janani Luwum, the Anglican archbishop of Kampala.

Janani Jakaliya Luwum was born in 1922 in Northern Uganda. At 10, he began schooling, going on to Teacher's Training College where he graduated and became a respected teacher. In 1948 his life changed, though, when he met members of the Balokole ("saved ones") who visited his village. After his conversion experience, Luwum enrolled in Buwalasi Theological College; and became a priest in 1956 within the Church of Uganda, a member church of the Anglican Communion. Luwum studied for a year at Saint Augustine's College and for two more years at London Divinity College. He subsequently held various posts, including principal of Buwalasi and provincial secretary. In 1960, he was consecrated as Bishop of Northern Uganda. He served his diocese so magnificently that in 1974 he was elected Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga-Zaire. The archdiocese was centered in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
When Luwum arrived in Kampala, it was a frightening place. General Idi Amin's brutal regime was escalating atrocities. Amin, a convert to Islam, was certainly known to be pro-Muslim and anti-Christian. Many Christians became targets during Amin's rule. The volatile situation suggested comparison to the reign of King Mwanga of Buganda, nearly a century before. Mwanga began martyring Christians around 1885. Joseph Mukasa, a Roman Catholic convert, became King Mwanga's first victim (Balasundaram 2003).

In August 1976, Amin declared himself field marshal and life president. The country was beginning to crumble and church leaders began to unite their voices of discontent. Cardinal Nsubuga, Sheik Mufti of Uganda, and Archbishop Janani Luwum convened an ecumenical meeting to discuss the situation within the country. With great trepidation, they carefully discussed the deteriorating infrastructure. They requested a meeting with President Amin, but he responded with an angry reprimand about their conducting a meeting without presidential permission! Given Amin's deserved reputation, Luwum had to have known that his actions in defense of justice and his demand for answers made him a marked man, and that his own murder was a very real possibility.

On January 30, 1977, the Church of Uganda publicly voiced opposition to Amin. Bishop Festo Kivengere preached against Amin's misuse of power at the consecration of the Bishop of West Ankole. A month later a man indicated Luwum as a "possible" agitator. His home and belongings were ransacked by Amin's troops. On February 16, religious, government, and military leaders were summoned to condemn Luwum and indict him for various "subversive acts." The vice president insisted Luwum was given a "fair" trial by a military tribunal. He was taken to the infamous Nile Hotel, the site of numerous murders and torturing. The archbishop, who refused to sign a confession of treason, prayed for his captors as he was undressed and thrown to the floor, whipped, possibly sodomized, and then, at about 6:00, shot twice in the chest (Mairs 1996. p.84). Vehicles were then driven over his corpse to suggest a vehicle accident. When his body was sent home for burial, though, the faithful ripped open the sealed casket and saw the bullet holes.

Idi Amin's regime was toppled two years later by Tanzanian forces. Amin sought and received refuge in Saudi Arabia. Idi Amin finally died, just recently--on August 16, 2003--from multiple organ failure. The murderous dictator lived 26 years longer than Janani Luwum, the majority of that time spent in luxury in Saudi Arabia. Amin's legacy was such that--even in his mortal state before death--President Museveni of Uganda wanted Amin to stand trial if he returned alive to the country. Contrary to Amin's epitaph, Christians throughout the world, even years after his short-lived episcopacy and brutal death, continue to celebrate Janani Luwum's life. His statue now adorns Westminster Cathedral along with those of other 20th century martyrs. Luwum, unlike other bishops mentioned in this journal, could not deter Amin's wrath by threats of excommunication or interdict. Armed only with his faith and his conviction, he risked losing everything--including his own life--by demanding an end to Amin's murderous rage. Yet he had so much to live for. He had a devoted wife and loving children. He had the option of a promising ecclesiastical or academic career (if he had chosen to pursue them elsewhere), an option not readily available to other priests in Uganda. Instead, he put his flock and the Gospel of Jesus Christ above all his own priorities.

"Do not be afraid. I see God's hand in this." were Janani Luwum's last words to his brother bishops before his murder (Mission Saint Clare 2003). This statement was a simple affirmation of faith. Yet it served as a message of comfort and encouragement in the face of incomprehensible evil. The memory of that heart-felt farewell constitutes a memorial more enduring than any cast in bronze or carved from granite.