Brothers in blood and craft, when siblings do same jobs

By any standards, Lawrence Kateregga is a successful man. He has seen decades roll by and he has many stories to tell. He is so grounded in the issues of culture and Buganda kingdom having served as the head of the Buganda’s Mpologoma (lion) clan.
But away from that Lawrence Kateregga has an interesting story himself, a story that defines a man who has seen through three of his sons into priesthood. Lawrence Kateregga lives in Musigula village in Lubaga Division on the outskirts of Kampala. Most people, if not everyone here (Musigula village), knows a thing about him.
And it is because of his priest children than himself that he is such a known figure.
In 2010 Evaristo Kateregga, his eldest son, was ordained a Catholic Deacon. He was the first in the family followed by David William Lubuulwa the following year and Eugine Katalemwa this year in August.
Lawrence Kateregga has five children three of whom are sons and two daughters.
With a focused mind the journey for his sons wasn’t a coincidence, it was a well-planned path with all his sons attending seminary schools.
However, it has not been easy as Kateregga admits that “educating seminarians and seeing them through major seminaries today demands a lot of financial sacrifice, especially for a person like me who is advanced in age and without a proper and steady income”.
Evaristo Kateregga, the eldest of the priest brothers, attended Kabojja Preparatory School but later joined Nswanjere Junior Seminary.
In 1993 he joined Nyenga Seminary where he stayed until 1995 before moving to Alokulum National Major Seminary in Gulu to study Philosophy.
In 2002 he joined Ggaba National Major Seminary to study Theology where he stayed for three years before being ordained in 2010.
Initially, Evaristo Kateregga says, he started out in a class of 86 pupils at Nswanjere Junior Seminary but only six made it to priesthood after a challenging 17-year journey of devotion and commitment.
Achieving priesthood, according to Noelina Kateregga, the mother of the three brothers, was never forced on any of the children but was through good will and the parents made sure that they are facilitated through the journey by keeping them in seminary schools.
“Right from the start I asked them if indeed they wanted to become priests. Although I silently wanted them to take that direction, I always made sure that it was their decision and not anyone else’s,” she says.
The tree brothers have two sisters - Sylvia Zalwango and Goretti Nassolo and the two are grateful that they took that path.
“For one to decide to serve God is the wisest decision they can make,” says Zalwango, who also emphasises that their brothers’ decision was never influenced in any way.
David William Lubuulwa, 27, who is the youngest of the brothers, was ordained in August but he refutes claims that his was a bandwagon decision.
“They are getting it wrong. No one chooses for himself the honour of being a high priest. It’s only by God’s call,” he says, and also makes a case for the vocation that he and his brothers choose.

The Kayanja brothers
However, away from the three brothers are other prominent family members whose journey in priesthood is well documented.
Among these is Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre, whose two elder brothers, Archbishop of York, John Tucker Ssentamu and Bishop David Makumbi of Redeemed Church, have dedicated their lives to the service of God.
Robert Kayanja started out as an altar boy, before founding his Rubaga Miracle Centre church.
Archbishop Ssentamu was in 2013 cast in the light after he was tipped to succeed the Archbishop of Cantebury, Rowan Williams, who had retired.
Today he is one of the most revered clergy in the Church of England.
On the other hand, Bishop Makumbi started serving God in the 80s by ministering at Prayer Mountain Church in Lubya in Kasubi, where his young brother, Kayanja once served as an altar boy.
The three brothers are said to have drawn inspiration from their grandfather, Jeremiah Gyagenda, who was evangelised by renowned Anglican preacher, the late Apollo Kivebulaya.

The Kennedy family

The Kennedy family in the US is another prominent one that dominated the US politics during the 20th century. At least one Kennedy family member held a national elective office in every year between 1947 and 2011. Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy had nine children namely Joseph Jr, John, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean and Ted.
Among these, John Fitzgerald Kennedyfirst served in the US House of representatives for six years and later as junior senator from Massachusetts until he was elected 35th president of US in 1960.
During his presidency, J.F Kennedy appointed his younger brother and prominent senator Robert Kennedy as attorney general while his sister Ted Kennedy was elected to senate two years later.
All these have stood as Democrat Party candidates while other family members have also worked for the party or held cabinet positions under the Democratic Party administration.
At 43 years and 236 days, J F Kennedy was the second youngest person after Theodore Roosevelt (42 years, 322 days) to be elected to the presidency and the first Roman Catholic to storm the white house.
J F Kennedy was also the 8th and most recent US president to die in office and the fourth one to be assassinated.
The family has suffered many tragedies over the years which contributed to the idea of the “Kennedy curse”. Rosemary underwent a lobotomy. John F.K and Robert were assassinated in the 1960s.
Ted was involved in a single vehicle accident on Chappaquiddick island in 1969 which caused the death of his young assistant, Mary Jo Kopechne while Joseph Jr., Kathleen and John Jr. all died in airplane crashes.

The Mugenyi lawyers
Away from the ministry of God, are tens and hundreds of families whose siblings have chosen a similar career path.
Yesero Mugenyi is a veteran lawyer. All his five children including a set of twins have chosen the same career path just like their father. After graduating from law school in the 1990s they head a joint graduation party. Of the five children, three including Hamu Mugenyi, Yese Mugenyi and Asa Mugenyi, run their law firm on King Fahd plaza on Kampala Road.
Hamu Mugenyi, who holds a Master degree from University of Essex in UK, majored in arbitration and international economic law and is currently the attorney general of Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom and the chancellor of Bunyoro- Kitara diocese.
On the other hand Asa Mugenyi, who holds a Masters’ degree from Makerere University, is currently the chairman of Uganda Tax Appeal Tribune. Yese Mugenyi, who holds a Master’s degree from Edinburg Business School, Harriot University, is a renowned advocate of the High Court and a member of the chartered secretaries and administrators of UK . Until 1967, Yesero Mugenyi was a renowned scientist having obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Chemistry, Zoology and Botany from Makerere University in 1957. In 1963 he was selected to study the English Bar Course from which he qualified as a Barrister at Law.
He enrolled at London University, before returning to Uganda in 1967 where he was appointed as a State Attorney rising to the level of acting Director of Public Prosecution.

J.B Wasswa, journalist family
Other Ugandan families with siblings doing or have done similar professions include Bukedde newspaper’s founding and retired editor, Maurice Ssekawungu, whose brother, John Baptist Wasswa is a former editor at both New Vision and Daily Monitor newspapers. J.B Wasswa’s twin sister, Josephine Maseruka, was for long a senior reporter with both Bukedde and New Vision.

The Bush family

The Bush family in the US is well known. Between them they have spanned four decades of both good and controversial episodes. Two of the Bushs, including George H. W Bush and George W. Bush have been US presidents. Prescott Bush, a fourth generation grandfather and father to George H. W Bush was a senator representing Connecticut between 1952 and 1963.
George W. Bush’s young brother Jeb Bush was on the other hand, the 43rd governor of Florida between 1999 and 2007, before becoming a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination. He was defeated by Donald Trump who eventually won the November 4 election.