'We want to honour Bishop Hannington because he showed us the way'

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 MARTYRDOM 

📝 BISHOP JAMES HANNINGTON DAY
🗓️ OCTOBER 29, 2025
📍 KYANDO, MAYUGE
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When news reached James Hannington that two missionaries had been killed on the shores of Lake Victoria, the youthful curate-in-charge at St George's Chapel in the English village of Hurstpierpoint bravely set out for similar mission work in East Africa.

That was around 1882 — nearly one-and-a-half centuries ago.

Having led a team of six missionaries to Africa, Hannington was forced to return to England in 1883 after being hit by fever and dysentery. He would then return to the continent two years later after recovering — and this time as Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa.

Little did he know that, at just 37 years old, his life would be cut short nine months after coming back to East Africa. On October 29, 1885, Bishop Hannington was murdered — reportedly on the orders of Buganda's King Mwanga II — at Kyando Hill in present-day Mayuge district in Uganda's east.

'Far-fetched superstitious beliefs'

While different theories exist, including superstition-based ones, as to why and how he died, the widely believed account is that the Anglican bishop had arrived from the east, which had triggered the suspicion of Mwanga over his motives. 

After eight days in captivity, Hannington's brutal end made him the first martyr in Uganda.

Commenting on the bishop's death in 2022, President Yoweri Museveni made reference to his own experiences during the liberation war in the 1980s.

"There is a huge problem with belief in superstition. When we were in the bush, some people said I should not eat pumpkins because they cause tears! That our war would end in tears! This narrative had to be debunked. The church must take up a role in falsifying such beliefs," he said.

"Bishop Hannington's death was caused by far-fetched superstitious beliefs. Apparently, somebody told Mwanga that people coming from the east would bring him trouble. Hannington was only armed with the gospel, why kill him?"

'Spirit of sacrifice'

One-hundred and forty years later, the Ugandan government declared October 29 as a national day to commemorate the martyrdom of Bishop Hannington. The Church of Uganda had been holding annual memorial celebrations in previous years.

This year's national commemoration promises to be even bigger.

"We are going to join the rest of the Christians on the 29th of October at Kyando Hill in Mayuge. This will be the main venue for the celebrations, around Bishop Hannington Primary School," said Joel Wanjala, the acting permanent secretary of the Directorate for Ethics and Integrity, on Monday (October 13).

"In October 2022, government took a decision to gazette this day as a national day — just to remind us of that [Hannington's] spirit of sacrifice.

"Bishop Hannington laid the foundation for the growth of Christianity (...) and he gave his life, the way Jesus Christ gave His life for all of us for our sins," he said on UBC TV's The Front Bench show.

"We shall join the pilgrims all over the region in Busoga to have this day commemorated. This is a church function and the main event here will be a thanksgiving service, and the main celebrant will be The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu (pictured below), the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda."

'Big event'

President Museveni is expected to be the chief guest.

The Bishop James Hannington Day celebrations, under the stewardship of the Busoga Diocese, are jointly organized by the Central and East Busoga dioceses. This year, the East Busoga Diocese is hosting the event under the theme: 'Imitating God’s goodness by doing.'

"It is going to be a very big event and we expect big numbers," said PS Wanjala, adding that there will be pre-event activities, including missionary work and guided tours of the key sites.

"The artifacts there are still intact," he said.

"For instance, the torture stone is there. The murder stone is there. The cave that you would call the bedroom where Bishop Hannington was resting is intact. The reading room is intact. The well, where he was taking water from, is intact. There is even a church around that has been maintained.

The idea is to preserve this site.

Wanjala said the Cabinet and government have already made a decision to improve Kyando to an international religious site for purposes of religious tourism.

'Man of faith'

"We want to honour him [Bishop Hannington] because he showed us the way, he showed us the courage. That's why Uganda is a Godfearing country," said Rose Lily Akello, the Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity.

"He was a martyr. A man of faith. That's what brought him to Uganda. By him coming to Uganda, we, Ugandans, converted to Christianity."

Rev. Canon Aaron Mwesigye, the director of ethics and religious affairs in the Office of the President, said Hannington was a person "that we should admire".

After Hannington's murder, widespread persecution of Christians followed, many being killed or sold to Arab slavers. For instance, Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, a Roman Catholic and an official at Mwanga’s court, was one to pay with his life for rebuking the Buganda monarch for the deed. 

The martyrdom of Balikuddembe and 44 other Christian martyrs executed between 1885 and 1887 for refusing to renounce their faith is commemorated every June 3 in Uganda.

Other Ugandan martyrs celebrated are Daudi Okello and Jildo Irwa (October 20) and Archbishop Janani Luwum (February 16).