Kitabi seminary recounts journey from ‘evil forest’

The story of white evangelists and the evil forest told in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart plays out at Kitabi in Bushenyi. The history of the hill where Kitabi Seminary is built and what has come from the school are rather intriguing.

Like the Ibo of Nigeria sent the white man to live in the evil forest when he approached them for land to build a church, anticipating that he would die-but didn’t and instead religion and church grew stronger, when the white fathers in Bushenyi asked land to build a school for training priests in 1935 the natives of Kitabi in sent them to Rushaarira, a place known to have been full of evil spirits.

The 77 year old seminary that was built on a deserted hill thought to have been infested with evil spirits has churned out nine bishops including Archbishop Paul Bakyenga of Mbarara Archdiocese and Bishop Emeritus John Baptist Kakubi and hundreds of priests.

What used to be a forest is now well trimmed landscape hosting seemingly old but stylish brownish school administration block, chapel, classrooms and dormitory structures built over 70 years ago. Playgrounds and courts of outdoor games stretching for about 300 metres from the gate to the administration block greet every visitor, evidence that the seminary caters for students beyond the academic and spiritual needs.

The institution was built following a creation of Ruwenzori Vicariate (Diocese) in 1934.The new Vicar Apostolic Rt. Rev Msgr Francis Xavier Lacoursiere chose Kitabi Mission as the place for the new seminary, a training school for future priests who would perform sacred ministries in the new vicariate.

Work starts
Rev Lacoursiere commissioned Rev. Pere Nadon and Rev Pere Frilley to start the task of building the school. They recruited seminarians from the vicariate which covered western Uganda sub regions of Bunyoro, Tooro, Ankole and Kigezi.

It opened on February 15, 1935 at Kitabi Mission-parish now (about kilometer from the current school campus) with 22 seminarians who had passed class IV-the top class of the Primary School at that time.

The successful applicants into the seminary needed to have passed well class IV examinations in the subjects taught at that level which were Arithmetic, History, Religion, geography, Hygiene, Swahili, Agriculture and Nature study.

The founders then thought it was necessary to make seminary independent of the Mission and they set out to look for a place to accommodate such an institution with enough land for cultivation, required buildings and spacious enough for play grounds and accommodate future developments.

The suitable land was found at Rushaarira hill. It was near the road, not far from Kitabi Mission, spacious and with a river near it. The place was however not inhabited by people because it was thought to be inhabited by evil spirits.

“When the mission came looking for land people around said go to Rushaarira well knowing that it was not habitable because of evil spirits,” says Fr. Dido Nshekanimanya, the Rector.

He says the place was frequently hit by thunder and lightning. The priests went ahead with the idea of going to settle in this place feared by others. Complex buildings were established and in 1938 the seminary shifted from Kitabi Mission to Ruhaarira hill.

Changing name
But because the name Rushaarira sounded unpleasant and was associated with bad omen, they changed it into Bwera and chose St Francis Xavier for its patron. Fr. Nshekanimanya says that in the early days of the seminary establishment at Rushaarira Brother Simon was hurt by lightening, giving credence to the belief that there were spirits.

In order to avert future catastrophes, a procession was organized with litanies and prayers. It was renamed St Francis Xavier’s Seminary, Bwera marking the end of ugly incidences on the hill.

Fr. Nshekanimanya says that the junior seminary of those days had the same curriculum as the junior secondary schools except that in addition, seminarians were taught Latin and had stress on religion, which was not only taught but also practiced and lived.

In the early days of the seminary the school terms and holidays occurred twice a year. The school term ran for five months-January to May and from July to the end of November. December holidays were spent away from the seminary while the July holidays were spent at the seminary.

“During the July holiday spent at the seminary there were no classes and compulsory studies. It was time for a student to do his fee study and make up what he missed or failed to understand during the course of the term,” says Fr Nshekanimanya.

At Kitabi seminary manual work culture has lived up to today. Students engage in cleaning and slashing. The compound of the school and the football pitch were leveled by students using their hands. In 1951 the staff and Bishop agreed to rename the school from Bwera to Kitabi.

This was because they discovered that there was already another minor seminary in Tanznia which was called Bwera. Also in the neighborhood there was Bwera-Nyangi Secondary School, so there was fear of confusion of mail and donations.

By 1965 Kitabi Seminary was teaching and giving what other students acquired from secular secondary schools. With qualified and dedicated teachers seminarians would compete and score good results. In 1965 the top class registered for Cambridge exams and this first group went to six exams at Maryhill because Kitabi had not yet been granted an examination centre of its own.

Later on the seminary became a registered centre sitting Cambridge Examinations. When the Ministry of Education changed from Cambridge exams to East African certificate of Education and finally to Uganda national examination board in 1980, Kitabi always followed the system.

What was also unique about Kitabi was that it taught French and Latin. But Latin later became a hated subject and students often failed it. According to the book, History of Kitabi Seminary 1935-1995 published by the school, students neglected studying Latin. This attitude, the book says, was created by members of the seminary staff.

“What led those teachers mainly priests to do such a thing is not clear. The fact is that students were not only told that Latin was useless, but the subject was pushed aside and dropped from the curriculum of Kitabi Seminary,” the book says its chapter 12.

A seminary is a seedbed that prepares young boys to become priests. Though there is much stress on religion all subjects are taught and students in the course of study chose whether to become priests by joining a major seminary after A-level or pursue other secular professions and studies.

The bishop gets time to camp at the school meeting each student with the view knowing whether they are interested in pursuing priest hood or not.

About 75 per cent never become priests.

The conventional and unconventional nurturing of students at Kitabi seminary has made the old boys to become useful and trusted citizens in various sectors.

Mr Arinaitwe Rugyendo who in 1996 completed his six secondary school years at Kitabi wrote in the school Platinum Jubilee Magazine in 2010.

“When we were asked to do manual work four days a week and pray seven days of the week; when we were asked to belong to at least two student clubs, told to participate in at least two games, speak English all the time and take leadership positions of whatever form; when that nosy bell woke us from our deep slumber at 6.15 am every day we always thought we were being tortured by the strict rector.”

“But little did we know that the administration was preparing us for complex and unconventional world out there, where the wise, the early birds, the honest, the resilient, the workaholics and the simple, led the way.”

However all has not been smooth at Kitabi Seminary. A tragedy happened on June 15 2003 when 23 students died in a nasty accident near Kashaka on Mbarara-Kasese Highway.

The students were coming from St. Joseph’s Vocational School for football competition in Bishop Kakubi Memorial Tournament.

Prominet OBs
1 - Archbishop Paul Bakyenga
2 - Bishop Emeritus John Baptist Kakubi
3 - Bishop Lambert Bainomugisha
4 - Rt. Rev Callist Rubaramira
5 - Rt Rev. Egidio Nkeijanabyo
6 - Rt Rev Edward Baharagate
7 - Rt Rev Dr Deogracious Byabazaire
8 - Rt. Rev Barnabas Halem’Imana
9 - Rt Rev Serapio Magambo (RIP)
Other old boys include Kahinda Otafiire, Henry Muganwa Kajura, Richard Tusiime, Prof. Peter Kanyandago, Prof. Peter Kasenene, Benard Rwehururu, Richard Nduhura, Gerald Karuhanga and Yona Bikwatsizehi, Augustine Ruzindana, Dr William Muhairwe, Mr Luciano Tibaruha and Lt Gen. Charles Kayonga, the Chief of Defense Staff of the Rwandan Army.

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