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The Rev Kabagambe loved God and family
Happy days. The Rev Etienne Kabagambe on his graduation.
What you need to know:
- Dearly missed. At 51, the Rev Etienne Kabagambe had reached a phase that most of his congregants needed him. However, the archdeacon of Matayo Church of Uganda in Ntoroko District could not live to the dream of his flock. Alex Ashaba finds out what the priest was like.
On December 13, 2020, Christians in the Diocese of Ruwenzori were heartbroken after the news started circulating on social media that the Rev Etienne Kabagambe had passed on. Then, family members confirmed the sad news to the public.
The Anglican priest who served for 28 years in different churches under Ruwenzori Diocese, died at Nsambya hospital in Kampala after he had been referred from Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.
The 51-year-old was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but because of the political instability, his family migrated to Uganda. He then started his pastoral work in 1992.
Dedicated to God
Loved by both Christians and non-Christians, they said he dedicated his life to serving God by preaching and converting many people to salvation.
Patrick Kyaligonza, one of his best friends and in-law, described the Rev Kabagambe one whose commitment to God’s work was unexceptional and his death shocked many because he passed on at a time when they needed him most.
“His death was sudden yet we badly needed him. Since he left, my life has changed and my faith has been pur to test. I have asked God so many questions; why this? Why him?” Kyaligonza says.
Douglas Tumushabe, another in-law recalls that the man of God stood for the truth at all times and many borrowed a leaf from his ministry.
“The late stood for the truth and never betrayed anyone. We miss his sermons, advice and I don’t know who will replace him minus God,” Tushabe says.
Cared for the needy
Neema Kabagambe, the widow described her late husband as a happy man of God who loved to preach gospel all the time and help the needy.
She says when she met him in 1990 in DR Congo, a few years later he became a lay leader who loved to help the needy because he never wanted to see anybody unhappy.
“When we got married in 1990, he was always happy and our home was peaceful. He was proud of our six children and when he joined the ministry, our lives changed because he preached to us and everyone that came by our home,” Neema recalls.
She adds that he had many friends and that at times they would sleep hungry at the expense of helping the needy.
“My husband would get so worried if anyone of us was not fine but it hurts that he has left at the time we needed him most,” Neema explains.
His six children, Evelyn Koburungi, Kabarokole Joselyn, Asiimwe Samuel, Esther Nyangoma, Joshua Kato and Mercy Katusiime described their late father as a man of God who cherished love, unity and was exemplary.
“It is hard to come to terms with the fact that dad went to stay with Lord but his time with us was a blessing. He served and loved God wholeheartedly more than anything else,” Kabarokole, one of the daughters recalls.
They recall that their father was a disciplinarian who always cautiouned them against the excesses of the secular world.
He always said to us, ‘I am always happy when you and your mother are well’.
“Whenever he was away from home, it would be boring. It’s so sad that our happiness is gone, we miss him every minute, and life is really becoming hard for losing such a sweet loving father,” Kabarokole adds.
One of his closest friends Rev Samuel Murangi, the Rector of Emmanuel Resurrection and Dean of Pennypack in Philadelphia, says the servant of God prioritised his life by serving God and preaching gospel to communities and educating his children.
He says after sad news about the death of Rev Kabagambe, friends and relatives started soliciting funds to continue supporting the family by building them a decent house. Because of their love for the reverend, they raised more than Shs40m.
The hard worker
The Ruwenzori Diocese Bishop Reuben Kisembo described the Rev Kabagambe as one of the hardworking priests in the whole diocese who was committed and lived a prayerful life.
“We shall miss him as diocese, he was committed priest and all the assignments he could do, he did them wholeheartedly. He loved praise and worship, in church we called him prayer warrior. He had good interpersonal relations with everybody in the diocese,” Bishop Kisembo said.
Kabagambe started out as a lay reader at Matayo Church of Uganda in Bundibugyo District under Ruwenzori Diocese, and after his ordination as reverend in 1992 he worked in different churches of the diocese. These include Nyakasenyi, St Andrews - Rwengoma, Kamengo, and Ihani Church of Uganda.
By the time of his death, he was the archdeacon of Matayo Church of Uganda in Ntoroko District. He is survived by a wife and six children.
At a glance
The Rev Etienne Kabagambe was born on September 19, 1969 in Boga Village, in DR Congo and later migrated to Uganda in 1990.
He pursued Religious Studies at Bishop Balya College in Fort Portal and before joining Kabale University for Diploma in Theology.
He died on December 13, 2020 in Nsambya Hospital and was laid to rest on December 15, 2020 at Matayo Church of Uganda in Rwebisengo, Ntoroko District. He is survived by a wife and six children.
