UGANDA MARTYRS: Focus on St Andrea Kaggwa

UGANDA | MARTYRS | ST. KAGGWA 

Andrew Kaggwa was killed on 26th of May 1886. He was a Munyoro, captured at an early age during a Baganda raid in Bugangaizi and carried off as a slave. 

He was said to be a handsome, well-built boy and that is why he was presented to the kabaka as part of his share of the spoils. 

According to his history at Uganda Martyrs Basilica, Munyonyo, Kaggwa’s cheerfulness and kind-heartedness made him a favourite among the royal pages. 

He was still a page when the explorer, H. M. Stanley visited Buganda in 1875. Stanley had brought with him some European drums to which the king, Mutesa I, took a fancy. 

Having acquired a dozen of these drums, the king sent Kaggwa to his factotum, Toli, a Muslim Madagascan who had visited France, to learn how to play them. 

At this time Kaggwa also became a Muslim. Toli, however, also acted as a carpenter for the Catholic missionaries and he likely introduced Kaggwa to them. 

In any case, Kaggwa joined the Catholic catechumenate in June 1880. He also seems to have attended Bible classes given by the Anglican missionary, Alexander Mackay.

Kaggwa, now 25, was appointed the king’s master drummer and was in charge of some 15 other drummers. Not long afterwards, he became bandmaster, in charge of all the court musicians, including buglers and cymbals players. 

He was given a plot of land at Naetete, not far from the capital and built a house there, in which, after his marriage, he lived with his wife, Clara Batudde. 

He was baptized on April 30, 1882. Two years later, bubonic plague broke out in the capital, and Kaggwa cared for dying and abandoned catechumens in his own enclosure. 

Since the Catholic missionaries had left Uganda at this time, he also instructed, baptized and buried those he took in. Other Christians followed his example. 

Mutesa I died in October 1884 and was succeeded by Mwanga, with whom many of the royal servants had been on intimate terms when he was a young prince. 

This was the case with Kaggwa, who was not only now reappointed bandmaster but given the title Mugowa, with authority over the entire militia from which the bandsmen were drawn.

Kaggwa became a great favourite of the new king, who invited him to accompany him on hunting and boating expeditions. 

Among the many converts made by Kaggwa at court there were several future martyrs. 

One was James Buzabaliawo, another bandsman, whom Kaggwa instructed in the Catholic faith as well as in music, and who became Kaggwa’s chief assistant. When the storm of persecution broke on May 25, 1886, the king was at Munyonyo, a royal enclosure, built on a hill beside Lake Victoria, not far from the capital.

It was here that Charles Lwanga and the Christian pages were sentenced to death, in spite of the vain attempts of the Catholic missionary, Fr Siméon Lourdel (Mapeera), to see the king and stay the execution. 

Later in the day, Mapeera returned to the palace on the pretext of informing the kabaka about the imminent arrival of the first Catholic bishop, Léon Livinhac. 

The king appeared pleased to hear of the bishop’s arrival but refused to reprieve the martyrs.

On the following day, Katikkiro Mukasa reminded Kabaka Mwanga that Kaggwa was still at liberty. The king replied that he could not afford to lose his chief drummer. 

To this, Mukasa replied that Kaggwa was the principal Christian instructor of the king’s pages and other servants and that he would not eat until he had been given to him in order to dispose of him himself. 

Kabaka Mwanga acceded to the request but was too ashamed to give the news to Kaggwa personally. When the Katikkiro’s messengers came, Kaggwa was prepared. 

He had been to receive the Eucharist at the mission in the morning and had returned to his post at Munyonyo. 

“Give up the Christians in your house,” demanded the emissaries. 

“There is only one,” replied Kaggwa, “I am myself a Christian.” 

He was taken to the Katikkiro’s house and interrogated. Katikkiro Mukasa ordered: “Take this man away and put him to death! Bring me his arm to prove that you have done your work. I will not touch food until I have seen it.” 

The executioners sought to delay matters, expecting the kabaka to send a reprieve at any moment. Kaggwa, however, urged them to kill him quickly and take his arm to the chancellor. 

In a few moments, they brought the severed arm to Katikkiro Mukasa.

Witnesses of the martyrdom said that Kaggwa was wearing bark cloth over a white loincloth and holding a small book in his hand. He begged the executioners not to strip him naked and they consented. 

Throwing him down, they cut off his arm with a knife. Kaggwa’s only sound was to cry “My God.” They then beheaded him and cut his body into pieces. Christians reverently buried his remains at the spot where he died.

Andrew Kaggwa was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. He was declared a canonized saint by Pope Paul VI in 1964. St Kaggwa is the patron of Catechists, Teachers and Families.   

Kaggwa’s home in Kibaale

New Vision traced his relatives in Kibaale, where Andrea Kaggwa is highly revered in many households, schools and churches. 

His known relative Remigious Bisansa, 96, was said to have passed away in 2014. 

But one of the great-grandsons of Kaggwa, Ponsiano Kubalikagira, 65, was alive. 

He is a former catechist of Bukuumi Catholic Parish, now serving at the new St Andrea Kaahwa's Parish Shrine in Kooki. 

Kaggwa is known as Kaahwa by Banyoro and Batooro. 

“Andrea Kaggwa was my real grandfather because he was the elder brother of my grandfather Daudi Musoke. Our great-great-grandfather, Petero Kaahwa, father to my grandfather Daudi Musoke, had many wives,” he said.  

Kaahwa's mother was Kasemere. She was the mother of Kubalikagira’s grandfather, Musoke. 

Kubalikagira gave New Vision a guided tour of the graveyards, located under a big mango tree, together with his daughter, Maria Andrea Kaahwa Kemigisa. 

The 5 km journey branches off Kakumiro-Hoima road and navigates through swamps, banana plantations, gardens and bush thickets. 

"I feel good because I am from the Martyr's roots," he said. 

“I also become his heir in 1986 when the Catholic Church was preparing to celebrate 100 years of Uganda Martyrs on May 26, 1986."  

He narrated that by then Parish priest of Bukuumi, Fr Joseph Bukya, asked the family members to choose the heir of Saint Kaahwa. They chose him by saying he was also a catechist like Kaahwa. 

"As a clan, we gather at Kitegula near Nkoko-Kakumiro district to celebrate where our jjaaja (Musoke) was buried in 1914 before his remains were exhumed in 1922 and transferred to the main graveyard in Kirinda village,” he said.  

"I was catechist of Bukuumi Parish since 1974, before I worked for eight years as catechist before the training and later in 1982 I went to Mugarike catechist schools for training for six months, and completed in December 1982. Since then, I am a catechist. Last year in February (2016) I was transferred from Bukuumi to Kooki.” Kabalikagira narrated. 

Bisansa's home at Kikanda is an unusually quiet village, situated 5 km outside Kakumiro town. It is 15 km from the original home of Kaggwa. Locals refer to him as: District Education Officer. 

He was a former District Education Officer (DEO) for Catholic schools in Mubende district. He passed away on January 23, 2014.

The descendants at villages like Buseesa, Bujuuni, Kakumiro, Kooki and Hoima diocese at large remember Bisansa as easy and friendly. 

He made everybody feel like that have met him before, they said. He spoke English with a polished accent, Runyoro and a little Luganda. His house is filled with photographs and mementoes of his travels, achievements and successes. 

This village first got into the spotlight in 2009 when his two brother's sons got ordained as priests at ago.

"He told us that before he died, he wanted his story to be told. He wanted people to know that he was a descendant of Kaggwa. He also mentioned another of Kaggwa's descendant family living in Nyendo-Masaka, where his only daughter Sarah Aliwonya –Omwoyo was," Kabalikagira said.

Bisansa had told people that Baganda captured Andrea Kaahwa and Magdalena Musumika Kasemire during a war with Banyoro and took them to Buganda. 

The two were separated before they reached Lubiri palace; Musumika was taken to Kibibi, Butambala and Kaahwa the palace. 

Kaahwa was a brother to his mother, their father Petro Kaahwa, has 37 wives. 

Kabalikagira said Kaahwa married a Muganda known as Maria Clara Batudde Nakazibwe, daughter of Kizza of the Nakinsige clan. They later went to Nyendo-Masaka.  

Aliwonya-Mwoyo also got five children; Henry Lule Batulumawo Bulegga, Joseph Ssali, Felista Namuddu and Agnes Nakanjako. 

Bisansa was born in 1918, in Lwengo-Bwansa sub-country in the former Mubende district, now Kibale. His parents were Atalazio Kironde and Juliana Rukwirwa. 

He said he did his catechumen school in 1926, with Emmanuel Nsubuga who later becomes Emmanuel Cardinal. 

In 1938, his classmate Emmanuel Nsubuga took him to Bikira Institute for three years before he went to Kisubi for 10 years. 

Later he went to Kyambogo, before graduating to become a District Education Officer of Catholic schools in Mubende district. After retirement, he went into farming.