Kyando: A murder site
THERE are several theories on how Bishop James Hannington died, so we may never know how it happened. It is not even clear who gave the order although there is no doubt that Chief Luba of Bunya carried it out at Kyando, in what is now known as Mayuge district.
By George Bita
THERE are several theories on how Bishop James Hannington died, so we may never know how it happened. It is not even clear who gave the order although there is no doubt that Chief Luba of Bunya carried it out at Kyando, in what is now known as Mayuge district.
Hannington’s journal, salvaged by a local, indicated that he was tortured for a week after his arrest on October 21, 1885. He was speared to death on October 29, 1885.
He wrote: “In spite of feeling I was being dragged away to be murdered….., I sang 'Safe in the Arms of Jesus' and laughed at the very agony of my situation. My clothes were torn to pieces so that I was exposed; wet through being dragged on the ground; strained in every limb and for a whole hour expecting instant death, hurried along, dragged, pushed at five miles an hour, until we came to a hut...â€
Some people believe the Bishop angered Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda by travelling through Busoga, at that time considered a back entrance to Buganda Kingdom. Traditionally, such an entry, whether by missionaries or traders, was considered subversive.
Little wonder that Hannington’s last words were: “Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood.â€
Kyando is 12km from Mayuge town near the shores of Lake Victoria in Imanyiro county. Despite its historical significance, it is not easy to access, with the bad roads and lack of signposts and tourists need quick-witted drivers ready to make abrupt decisions.
Almost 122 years after Bishop Hannington was killed, the site remains unaltered by modernity. The stone on which he was speared is located less than a metre from a footpath that winds through a small maize garden. A short distance down the footpath is a church built in his memory.
Multitudes of Christians throng Kyando every year on October 29 to pray at the site where Bishop Hannington was martyred.
According to Gideon Lubega, the lay leader at Bishop Hannington Memorial Church, visitors from all walks of life visit the site all year round with the climax being October 29.
“A monument was set up in the 1920s on the huge stone were he is believed to have been speared to death.
Unfortunately, thieves thought its lightning conductor contained precious mercury and broke up the edifice,†Lubega says. The remnants are scattered in nearby gardens.
At Kyando, he used rocky caves as library, altar, pulpit and sleeping room. These are the major attractions for tourists. Many of the visitors drink water from the well that Bishop Hannington used more than 122 years ago.
Of particular interest is the pulpit used by Bishop Hannington. It is a huge stone that sits on a rock, tilting as though it will fall any minute, yet it hasn’t moved an inch since the days before any white man stepped in Uganda.
To get there you have to do a substantial amount of climbing. But when you get there, it becomes obvious why the Bishop chose it. There is a clear view of Nkombe village, Lake Victoria and Mwiri hill in Jinja. Lwanika and the Victoria waters are visible to the south while parts of Iganga and Waitambogwe hill dot the eastern horizon.
ABOUT Bishop HANNINGTON
Born at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex, England, on 3 September 1847 .
Left school at 15 to work in his father's Brighton counting house.
At 21, decided to pursue a clerical career, and entered university at St. Mary's Hall, Oxford
1873 was ordained a deacon, and took charge of the small parish of Trentishoe in Devon
In 1882, he offered himself to the Church Missionary Society, and he set sail for Zanzibar on May 17, as the head of a party of six missionaries Crippled by fever and dysentery, he was forced to return home in 1883
June 1884, he was ordained bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, and in January 1885, he departed for Africa
He decided to focus on opening a new route to Uganda
Under the orders of King Mwanga II of Buganda, the missionaries were imprisoned in Busoga
After eight days of captivity, by order from King Mwanga II, Hannington's men were killed, and on 29 October 1885, Hannington himself was speared in both sides
Joseph Mukasa, a Roman Catholic priest and an official at Mwanga's court, rebuked the king for the deaths, and was beheaded for it Hannington and companions were among the first Martyrs of Uganda.
Hannington's feast day in the Church of England is October 29
THERE are several theories on how Bishop James Hannington died, so we may never know how it happened. It is not even clear who gave the order although there is no doubt that Chief Luba of Bunya carried it out at Kyando, in what is now known as Mayuge district.
Hannington’s journal, salvaged by a local, indicated that he was tortured for a week after his arrest on October 21, 1885. He was speared to death on October 29, 1885.
He wrote: “In spite of feeling I was being dragged away to be murdered….., I sang 'Safe in the Arms of Jesus' and laughed at the very agony of my situation. My clothes were torn to pieces so that I was exposed; wet through being dragged on the ground; strained in every limb and for a whole hour expecting instant death, hurried along, dragged, pushed at five miles an hour, until we came to a hut...â€
Some people believe the Bishop angered Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda by travelling through Busoga, at that time considered a back entrance to Buganda Kingdom. Traditionally, such an entry, whether by missionaries or traders, was considered subversive.
Little wonder that Hannington’s last words were: “Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood.â€
Kyando is 12km from Mayuge town near the shores of Lake Victoria in Imanyiro county. Despite its historical significance, it is not easy to access, with the bad roads and lack of signposts and tourists need quick-witted drivers ready to make abrupt decisions.
Almost 122 years after Bishop Hannington was killed, the site remains unaltered by modernity. The stone on which he was speared is located less than a metre from a footpath that winds through a small maize garden. A short distance down the footpath is a church built in his memory.
Multitudes of Christians throng Kyando every year on October 29 to pray at the site where Bishop Hannington was martyred.
According to Gideon Lubega, the lay leader at Bishop Hannington Memorial Church, visitors from all walks of life visit the site all year round with the climax being October 29.
“A monument was set up in the 1920s on the huge stone were he is believed to have been speared to death.
Unfortunately, thieves thought its lightning conductor contained precious mercury and broke up the edifice,†Lubega says. The remnants are scattered in nearby gardens.
At Kyando, he used rocky caves as library, altar, pulpit and sleeping room. These are the major attractions for tourists. Many of the visitors drink water from the well that Bishop Hannington used more than 122 years ago.
Of particular interest is the pulpit used by Bishop Hannington. It is a huge stone that sits on a rock, tilting as though it will fall any minute, yet it hasn’t moved an inch since the days before any white man stepped in Uganda.
To get there you have to do a substantial amount of climbing. But when you get there, it becomes obvious why the Bishop chose it. There is a clear view of Nkombe village, Lake Victoria and Mwiri hill in Jinja. Lwanika and the Victoria waters are visible to the south while parts of Iganga and Waitambogwe hill dot the eastern horizon.
ABOUT Bishop HANNINGTON