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Rt. Rev. Prof. Alfred Olwa, the Bishop of Lango Diocese will lead a delegation of about 300 Anglican Christians from Acholi and Lango sub-regions to meet the clan of former President Idi Amin in Koboko district. 

The meeting is aimed at reawakening the reconciliation process of 2019 that the Kakwa Clan had initiated with the Acholi community over the killing of the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, St Janani Luwum, which Amin is said to have ordered. 

Luwum was murdered on February 16, 1977, together with two cabinet ministers, Wilson Erinayo Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi during the regime of former Uganda president Idi Amin.

In 2019, the two sides met and denounced hatred and embraced unity as well as harmonious living forever. 

The meeting is aimed at reawakening the reconciliation process of 2019 that the Kakwa Clan had initiated with the Acholi community over the killing of the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, St Janani Luwum, which Amin (Pictured) is said to have ordered. 

It is anticipated that a team of 150 comprising of Christians, cultural leaders, civil society organisations, as well as political and religious leaders from dioceses of Lango and West Lango will join 130 counterparts from the dioceses of Kitgum and Northern Uganda and assemble for the engagement at Nyangilia Secondary School playground in Koboko Municipality from Friday, April 12, 2024, to Sunday, April 14, 2024, when a reconciliation prayer shall be held. 

According to the Bishop of Northern Uganda Diocese Rt. Rev. Godfrey Loum, the meeting shall enable the Kakwa, Acholi, and Lango to reconcile following mistakes made by past leaders. 

“You know that Northern Uganda had a very difficult past, different governments that came from Northern Uganda that caused a lot of animosity among people of Acholi, West Nile, and Lango areas that needed comprehensive redress. During UNLA our people did a lot of atrocities in West Nile as they did to us in Mucwini so that we start a new journey of building and supporting one another,” Bishop Loum said. 

Luwum (RIP) was murdered on February 16, 1977, together with two cabinet ministers, Wilson Erinayo Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi during the regime of former Uganda president Idi Amin.

Simon Adoke, the organising committee chairperson from the Koboko side says the hosts are happily waiting for all the guests and that all is set for the event. 

Adoke added that a set of elders have so far been identified to discuss pertinent issues to strengthen the already initiated unity before celebration of cultural unity among the two sides this Sunday.

In 2018, the Justice and Peace Commission of Lira Diocese conducted reconciliation meetings with thirteen tribes of Acholi, Alur, Lugbara, Madi, Aringa, Jonam, Kakawa, Okebu, and Lendu among others, where a declaration about the success of the initiative was made in January 2019 during the provincial peace prayer.   

The coordinator of the Commission Cypriano Okello said the declaration was made before Catholic bishops of Arua, Lira, Gulu, and Nebbi, denouncing war, and hatred among the people.

Who was Luwum?

Luwum was born in 1922 in Mucwini, Chua, to Eliya Okello and Aireni Aciro. His father was a convert to Christianity. He was sent to school and eventually became a schoolteacher.

As Archbishop, Janani Luwum often went personally to the office of the dreaded State Research Bureau to help secure the release of prisoners.

In 1948, Luwum accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. His conversion was so deep that he gave up teaching to join church ministry full-time. He became active in the East African Revival Movement and became a lay reader, then a deacon and later a priest in 1956.

He taught at Buwalasi Theological College and later became its principal. In 1969, he was consecrated bishop of Northern Uganda.

Luwum’s leadership focused not only on preaching and spreading the word of God but also on the holistic development of people and communities; he repeatedly appealed to Ugandans to live together peacefully and in harmony. He was among the early visionaries for the sustainability of the church through the Church House Project.

In 1974 Janani Luwum became Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga-Zaire (Eastern DR Congo).  It was during a time of widespread terror after Idi Amin had overthrown President Milton Obote three years earlier in 1971.

As Archbishop, Janani Luwum often went personally to the office of the dreaded State Research Bureau to help secure the release of prisoners.

Early in 1977, there was a small army rebellion that was put down with only seven men dead. Amin, however, was determined to stamp out all traces of dissent. His men killed thousands.

On Sunday, January 30, 1977, Bishop Festo Kivengere denounced the arbitrary bloodletting and accused the government of abusing the authority that God had entrusted to it.

The government responded on the following Saturday (February 5) with an early morning (1:30 am) raid on the home of the Archbishop, Janani Luwum, ostensibly to search for hidden stores of weapons.

A week later, on February 16, the archbishop and six bishops were publicly arraigned in a show trial and were accused of smuggling arms. Luwum was not allowed to reply but shook his head in denial.

The president (Amin) concluded by asking the crowd: "What shall we do with these traitors?" The soldiers replied, "Kill him now".

The archbishop was separated from the other bishops. As he was taken away, Luwum turned to his brother's bishops and said: "Do not be afraid. I see God's hand in this."

The next morning it was announced that Luwum had been killed in a car crash.