How Archbishop Janani Luwum met his death

Today is the eighth year since 16th February was established as a national day to honour the fallen emissary of God former Archbishop of Uganda, Janani Luwum.

It’s also marking 46 years since he met his death at the hands of former President Field Marsal Idi Amin Dada.

Luwum began his priesthood journey in 1954 when he has ordained a priest in the United Kingdom and was consecrated as Bishop of Northern Uganda in 1969, and in 1974 was appointed the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Province of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga.

In his times, it was tough to lead a Christian church since Gen Amin was accusing church leaders of preaching bloodshed and hatred. It’s recalled during his Christmas broadcast of 1975 Amin banned church fundraising.

However, the maverick clergyman, went on and did the opposite of the orders of Gen Amin and took his role to defend the church by constantly criticizing the tough government orders that were intended to affect a particular community.

In his fight for church justice, Bishop Luwum was always willing to meet with Amin to discuss the church’s view on the government’s actions unfortunately his total willingness to settle issues with Gen Amin on the round table, instead created another wave of critics and this time it was from his fellow Christians who begun to accuse him of kowtowing with the regime.

He however did not give up and replied to his critics, “I face daily being picked up by the soldiers. While the opportunity is there, I preach the Gospel with all my might. My conscience is clear before God that I have not sided with the present government, which is utterly self-seeking. I have been threatened many times. Whenever I have the opportunity, I have told the president the things the church disapproves of. God is my witness.”

As a church leader, Bishop Luwum concentrated much on preaching about love and reconciliation. However, his sermons made Gen Amin accuse him of siding with his nemesis-in-exile, Milton Obote. And in response to such sermons, on 5th February Amin sent his soldiers to search Luwum’s house.

In his letter to the Anglican bishops, the late said;

“So I opened the door and immediately these armed men who had been hiding sprung on me corking their rifles and shouting, “Archbishop! Show us the arms!” I replied, “What arms?” They replied, “There are arms in this house!” I said, “No.

At this point, their leader put his rifle in my stomach on the right-hand side while another man searched me head to foot. He pushed me with his rifle, shouting, “Walk! Run! Show us the arms!”

[Ongom then said]… Archbishop, you see some time back we brought some ammunition and divided it up with Mr Olobo who works in the Ministry of Labour in Kampala. I have suggested to the security men that Mr Olobo might have transferred the ammunition to your house. Please help.”

According to Bishop Luwum, Ben Ongom had been maximumly tortured and had to pin him to save his life.

The security officials searched and ransacked the archbishop’s residence until 4:30 in the morning after they departed, this is the time Luwum’s family knew that Gen Amin was ready to do anything which is why Luwum’s wife Mary Lawinyo Luwum and others begged him to flee Uganda into exile.

He however refused and said to them; “If I, the shepherd, flee, what will happen to the sheep?”

Within two days Archbishop Luwum was called to a personal meeting with Idi Amin however his wife refused to let him go alone. Many writers say that his acceptance to meet Gen Amin with his wife Mary saved Luwum from being imprisoned and murdered that same day.

In the meeting Amin justified his orders to search Luwum’s home on that day they took pictures, however when Luwum met the bishops he said; It was to be a short respite. “I think I was marked to be killed on Monday at Entebbe.”

The actions of searching the Bishop’s house did not please the Christian leaders of that time so, they decided to directly confront the issue of the Archbishop being harassed by Ugandan soldiers while at home on fake charges. They decided to take the opportunity to address not only the invasion of the Archbishop’s home but also the increasing numbers of arbitrary killings and mass arrests and torture being done by Gen Amin and in his name.

They also requested a meeting with Amin and released their memorandum of protest on 12 February 1977, sending copies not only to the government and Idi Amin himself, but also to the Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim faith communities throughout the country.

However according to the documents from Red Africa Travel online magazine Gen Amin’s reaction was too swift, on 16th February Archbishop Janani Luwum was arrested and the bishops, along with government cabinet members, were invited to a meeting at the Nile Hotel.

They arrived on time, only to find a huge pile of arms in the front of the room, surrounded by soldiers. At 11 am, Idi Amin’s most feared army officer, Colonel Isaac Malyamungu, rose to the front to make a statement.

Confessions from those who implicate Archbishop Luwum and two others in trading illegal arms in support of Milton Obote were read, and when Amin finally addressed the crowd he asked for all those who supported the death penalty of the accused to raise their hands.

The soldiers in the front started roaring. “Kill them!” they shouted in Kiswahili.

The Archbishop and the two other accused were led away. As he left, Luwum turned to Bishop Festo Kivengere and said, “They are going to kill me. I am not afraid.”

Archbishop Janani Luwum was correct. He died that day. It’s said that that same night, Idi Amin held a raucous party, to which he had invited all the soldiers and cabinet members present at the rally to condemn the Archbishop.

Luwum together with two men were taken to the army barracks and heavily beaten and tortured before being shot. Their families were not allowed to take possession of their loved ones’ bodies, but most of the Archbishop’s family had fled to Kenya upon his arrest leaving behind only his elderly mother, an uncle, and a daughter.

After several days, soldiers brought Archbishop Luwum’s body to the house of his mother, where she was sitting alone and unaware that he had been arrested. They demanded that she tell them where to bury him, and she directed them to the village graveyard.

It was already evening and the soldiers had trouble digging a grave in the rocky soil of the village, so they abandoned their attempts and left for the night, warning Luwum’s mother that they would return the next day and that no one was to approach the coffin.

Archbishop Luwum’s mother and the other villager ignored the warning and unsealed the Archbishop’s coffin, It was then that his extensive torture and several bullet wounds, including one through his mouth, were discovered and recorded.