Mukajanga’s family seeks recognition

Some of the descendants of Mukajanga, who this publication talked to, said they were concerned that the Church has never involved their family in annual preparations of Martyrs’ Day fetes, nor extended financial support needed to upgrade his burial site in Buyonga-- Kikandwa Village, Wakiso District, into a modern tourist site, as per their earlier request.

Mr Fredrick Nsubuga Gaggawala, one of the descendants of Mukajanga (third lineage), said it is unfair for anyone to honour the Martyrs and forget about the family and burial ground of Mukajanga, the man, whose action birthed the highly celebrated day.

“What is happening is like praising the golden eggs and neglecting the goose. You cannot like the golden eggs and ignore the bird that laid them,’’ Mr Ggagawala said.

He appealed to well-wishers, including the leadership of the Catholic and Anglican churches, the government of Uganda and Buganda Kingdom to consider extending financial support to the family to realise its dream of turning the burial site into a pilgrim centre.

Mr Nsubuga Eliasafu, a clan member who is also known as Mukajanga Omulamu, literally meaning the living Mukajanga, said the family plans to expand on the building that houses the tomb of Mukajanga and also construct a hotel that would accommodate tourists, among other facilities.

Mr Nsubuga explained that although he had contacted some individuals to extend their request to the concerned parties, the move hasn’t yielded results.

Ms Ketty Bulya, a 104-year-old granddaughter to Mukajanga, said people shouldn’t neglect his relatives who fought against the enemies (colonialists) that had infiltrated Buganda Kingdom, prompting some of the king’s subjects to disobey him.

“He [Mukajanga] was fighting for his kingdom and his country. The enemy had attacked the kingdom, and when the Kabaka ordered him to act to defeat the enemy, he respected the directive just like any other commander. We need to honour him,” Ms Bulya, who was clad in gomesi, a traditional wear for Baganda, told this publication on May 17.

Today, Mukajanga’s tomb is housed in a building erected within the family cemetery in Buyonga Village, Wakiso District. It is surrounded by homes and gardens of his descendants.

 A huge signpost inscribed with the words, ‘Welcome to the site of Mukajanga, the loyal royal guard of Buganda Kingdom remembered for Namugongo 1829-1900’ stands firm at the entrance of the burial site.

Inside the house, there are 10 graves, but Mukajanga’s grave is bigger than the rest and is covered in backcloth and white sheets. Other graves are said to belong to some of his children and grandchildren.

Family plea

The administrator of Mukajanga’s lineage, Ms Christine Nakkazi said: “We don’t want to worship Mukajanga or his family, but we want them to acknowledge and celebrate his action with us.”

While responding to the concerns raised by Mukajanga’s descendants, Mr Tom Butime, the Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, said the family had never contacted the line ministry.

“They haven’t contacted me, but we have quite a vibrant museum site and monument department. I advise that they go and consult the commissioner for sites and monuments at the Ugandan Museum and then, I will be briefed,” he said.

“I have no problem with developing a tourist site in memory of Mukajanga. Although the act he did was terrible, history recognises him as having been the chief executioner at that time.”

Speaking about the same issue, Father Phillip Odii, the national coordinator for communications at the Catholic Secretariat, advised the family to write to the Archbishop of Kampala, Paul Ssemogerere, and make their request official.

Father Odii said once this is done, the Archbishop will forward it to the Episcopal Conference for consideration.

“The same procedure should be followed if they need to be supported to develop Mukajanga’s burial site,” he said.

Although Mukajanga’s action sowed seeds of hatred among believers, his descendants have consistently defended that Mukajanga was simply executing orders from above and should not be blamed for his actions.

Besides, they say Mukajanga died a reformed Christian who was later baptised and named Paul Kibuuka. Many of his relatives today are said to be staunch Christians and priests. 

Every year on March 20, the family organises special prayers in Buyonga –Kikandwa, Kakiri Parish in Wakiso District to celebrate Mukajanga’s life, and achievements and remind themselves that they are renewed generations.  The first prayers were held in March 2020 and were graced by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kaziimba, and some government officials.

Who is Mukajanga?

          According to his descendants, Mukajjanga was born in 1820 to Gombya Salasamba who hailed from Kyadondo County, Kibiri- Busabala. His father loved the Kabaka, something that prompted him to secure Mukajanga a job in the palace.

     While there, he worked in Buganda Kingdom as a royal guard who was tasked to discipline errant subjects. He was also appointed by Kabaka Mwanga 11 as Buganda Kingdom’s chief executioner who on June 3, 1886, ended the lives of 45 young Christians, 23 Anglicans and 22 Catholics at Namugongo.

     The execution commenced in 1985 with the killing of three young men, Rugarama, Kakumba and Sserwanga at Busega, a Kampala suburb found in Rubaga Division.

      The martyrs were beheaded, chopped into pieces, castrated and burned in various places including Namugongo, Busega, Nakivubo, Munyonyo, Mityana, Old Kampala, and Namanve among others.

     According to his descendants, Mukajanga had wives and about 77 children although about 11 of his children were known to the public. When he passed on in 1900, his remains were buried in Busabala. However, two years later, year (1902) the remains of Mukajjanga were relocated to a 17-acre ancestral cemetery in Buyonga- Kikandwa Village, Kakiri Parish, Wakiso District in Central Uganda.