Biography
Mugagga Lubowa
About Mugagga Lubowa
Mugagga Lubowa was a young page at the court of Mwanga II, king of Buganda. He came from Jjalamba in Mawokota. In Juliet Lukwago’s account, the parish priest of Mitala-Maria traces his arrival at court through the household of Seddu Kakinda, the royal bark-cloth maker. His exact birth year is uncertain.
The Missionaries of Africa remember him as helpful and cheerful, learning the Christian faith from Charles Lwanga while serving in the palace. Their account says that he resisted the king’s sexual demands. It describes his refusal to deny being Christian when an official offered him a way to escape condemnation. The remembered exchanges belong to the martyrdom narrative; their exact wording is not presented here as a verified transcript.
Charles Lwanga baptized him on May 26, 1886. Mugagga was killed at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, with other Christian prisoners. The accounts place him in his teenage years, although their estimates of his age vary.
The Missionaries of Africa’s account preserves recollections attributed to survivors Dionysius Kamyuka and Charles Werabe. It describes detention with other prisoners and Mugagga’s farewell before the fire. These recollections emphasize companionship at the end of his life, rather than presenting him as an isolated figure. His story is part of the wider memory of the Uganda Martyrs.
Local remembrance continues at Jjalamba. Lukwago reports that land associated with his birth was placed in the care of Mitala-Maria Parish. A cross and a mango tree mark the site, and pilgrims gather there in prayer and song. The report connects the martyr remembered nationally with a particular village and its families.
He was canonized in 1964.
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