Uganda Martyrs were traitors, says Katikkiro Mayiga

• Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga said the Uganda Martyrs were viewed as traitors under Buganda's laws at the time.

• He argued that Kabaka Mwanga II should not be condemned because he acted to defend the authority of his kingdom.

• Mayiga said Buganda Kingdom today regards the martyrs as pillars of faith and fully embraces Christianity.

As Uganda yesterday celebrated the annual Uganda Martyrs Day, Buganda Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga raised eyebrows, terming the slain Christian converts as traitors 

Mayiga stated that the Uganda Martyrs were viewed as turncoats under the laws of the time, and that Kabaka Mwanga II should not be condemned for ordering their execution.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Monitor, Mayiga said the young converts breached the laws of the kingdom by choosing allegiance to Christianity over the authority of the king.

"Kabaka Mwanga ordered the killing of the martyrs because they breached the law; they committed treason," Mayiga said.

"In the eyes of the king and his officials, as at that time, they committed treason."

The conflict, he said, was rooted in loyalty and authority rather than religion alone.

He explained that Christians describe Jesus Christ as priest, prophet and king, a concept that would have clashed with the authority of Mwanga, who regarded himself as the supreme ruler of Buganda.

"So, when the king wanted to be served by his officials and servants and they instead attended Christian instruction, then that was going to offend him," he said.

Mayiga argued that Mwanga gave the converts a choice between their new faith and loyalty to the throne.

"And when they opted for the newly-found God, he punished them."

The Katikkiro said the late monarch is often misunderstood by modern audiences.

"I think Kabaka Mwanga II shouldn't be vilified for that. That's a gross misinterpretation of history, a gross misunderstanding of the circumstances that prevailed during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga."

"I don't like people who talk ill of Kabaka Mwanga because, for me, they are lazy thinkers. If you are not a lazy thinker, you would understand that Kabaka Mwanga did what he had to do."

Mayiga maintained that any ruler confronted with a similar challenge to his authority would likely have acted in the same way.

Despite defending Mwanga's actions within their historical context, the Katikkiro said Buganda Kingdom today fully embraces Christianity and recognises the Uganda Martyrs as heroes of faith.

"The kingdom has embraced Christianity. And the martyrs are looked at as pillars of faith," he said.

He added that Martyrs Day should serve as a moment of reflection on leadership, service and commitment to the public good.

Mayiga also urged Christians to remember the role played by Buganda's kings in the introduction and spread of religion in Uganda.

He credited Kabaka Muteesa I with welcoming missionaries and teachers to Buganda and argued that Mwanga's resistance to foreign influence inadvertently contributed to the growth of Christianity.

"Everybody who believes in God, whether as a Christian or Muslim, should hail the kings of Buganda because it is because of them," he said.

Addressing claims of tension between Buganda culture and Christianity, Mayiga dismissed suggestions of any conflict.

"There is no tension between culture and faith since we fully understand that the actions of Kabaka Mwanga II were fully within his mandate. Any Christian who vilifies Kabaka Mwanga hasn't fully analysed the circumstances leading to the martyrdoms."