Archbishop Bakyenga’s candle burns out at 79

Mbarara Archdiocese is mourning its longest serving archbishop, Paul Kamuza Bakyenga, who died yesterday morning.

Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga, 79, passed on at Nsambya hospital in Kampala where he had gone for routine medical check-ups. He had retired as Mbarara Archbishop in 2020.

When the news about his death was confirmed at around 9:30am by Mbarara Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha and the Uganda Episcopal Conference, tributes started pouring in from church leaders, politicians, and the entire catholic faithful.

Many remembered him for his elaborate and spiritually enriching sermons that touched the lives of many, while others hailed him for being developmental.

Bakyenga was the Archbishop of Mbarara Archdiocese from January 2, 1999, until April 25, 2020. He was succeeded by Archbishop Bainomugisha.

Developmental 
Yesterday, Archbishop Bainomugisha led the first requiem mass for the deceased at Nyamitanga Cathedral where many Christians hailed him for being developmental.

They said he initiated a number of developmental projects that benefited the church.

“He loved Christianity, which is why he opened many parishes to ensure that more Christians get the Holy Eucharist. He has had a big impact on the church,” Fr Charles Lwanga Mutabaruka, the diocesan media relations officer, said.

Mr Boniface Barinyenka, a founder head teacher of several church-owned schools in Mbarara Archdiocese, described the deceased as one of the greatest  leaders the church has ever had.

“Archbishop Bakyenga was a renowned evangelist, one of the greatest we have heard. He transformed Mbarara Diocese; he was behind the expansion of education and medical services in the diocese, having started many schools and hospitals. He was a friend to religious leaders of all faiths. We have lost a church pillar,” Mr Barinyenka, who is the head teacher of Nyakabanga Secondary School founded by the church in Bushenyi District, said.

Mr Joseph Kamagara Karemire, the deputy head teacher at Maryhill High School where the archbishop completed his Senior Four, said Bakyenga mentored many people.

The deceased is remembered for many things, among them his love for children, which informed his decision to found Holy Innocents Children Hospital at Nyamitanga to treat children.

He also started the University of St Joseph Mbarara to help people, especially Christians, acquire higher education.

He reportedly succumbed to prostate cancer, which he had earlier treated in Germany in 2018.  

Early life, career
Archbishop Bakyenga was a fourth born in a family of 10 children of Sipiriano Kaamuza and Maria Gakibayo of Bumbaire, Igara in Bushenyi District.

He was born on June 30, 1944, and went to Ibaare Primary School, and Ibanda Preparatory Seminary from 1958 to 1960. The archbishop had earlier said he chose to join the seminary because he was inspired by students of Kitabi, a minor seminary in his neighborhood, which he passed by on his way to Ibaare Primary School.

In 1961, he joined Kitabi Seminary and then enrolled at Bukalasa Seminary in 1965 for A-Level studies but he did not complete. 

He then joined Rushoroza Seminary in Kabale to teach. He then enrolled at Katigondo to study philosophy but abandoned the course two years after. At this point, Bishop John Baptist Kakubi (now deceased) of then Mbarara Diocese, sent him to study at St Andrews College in Scotland, where he would obtain a degree in Theology. 

Bakyenga was ordained a priest on July 11, 1971 at Mushanga Parish in the present Sheema District at the age of 27. Eighteen years later, 45-year-old Bakyenga was appointed bishop.

He also served as Chaplain of Ntare School in Mbarara, Rector of Kitabi Seminary, and Rector of Ggaba National Seminary from 1985 to 1989, when he was appointed bishop.
He was installed as the first Archbishop of Mbarara on July 11, 1999.

He held several leadership positions at the same time when he served as chairperson of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) from 2002 to 2008, chairperson of Uganda Episcopal Conference (2002 -2006), Chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi, and Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

In the Uganda Episcopal Conference, he held several positions, including chairperson of the Seminary and Priestly Formation Commission from 1990 to 1998 after which he became chairperson for Health Commission and Vice Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference concurrently from 1998 to 2002. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Centenary Bank from 1998 and retired in 2016.
He will be buried on Sunday at Nyamitanga Cathedral.

What they say
Mathias Mpuuga, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament: I join mother Church to mourn the passing of His Grace Paul Kamuza Bakyenga, the Emeritus Archbishop of Mbarara. Archbishop Bakyenga had an illustrious career in the Lord’s vineyard…. My sympathies go to his family, Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha and the Christians of Mbarara Ecclesiastical Province. 

Thomas Tayebwa, Deputy Speaker of Parliament: His Grace has been a rare breed of a preacher whose message could deeply resonate with the congregation. He personally urged me as a leader to always find time to speak to God in a quiet place every day and embark on a journey of spiritual self-discovery. This has helped me so much to discover my vocation and purpose.