ST. CHARLES LWANGA
He was the ninth to be martyred. Charles Lwanga was born between 1860-1861 at Kasanje Birinzi. He is a real Munnabuddu, the son of Mr. Mabingo of Ngabi Clan and Mrs Gwokiiya of Kasimba. He was the last born of his siblings and grew up in the Enclosure of chief Mawulugungu of Kyaato that had married his paternal aunt Mukangula Batamiivu. Here he learnt art of governance and administration. Between 1878-1879, Lwanga and his friends used to be sent to the capital by chief Mawulugungu and in so doing they came into contact with the catholic missionaries. This contact became more frequent when chief Mawulungungu was transferred to Singo. Lwanga was handsome, brown, tall, strong and stately, kind, industrious and committed to duty. He was taken into service of King Mwanga by Mukasa Balikuddembe in 1882. He was an excellent and gifted leader full of creativity and initiative. He was humane, honest, trustworthy, cultured and full of civility. He helped to dig the Kabaka’s lake and governed the pages with incredible wisdom. He was baptized on 15th November 1885. He was an exceptional leader of the Christians. Lwanga is admired for his strong faith, his piety and practice of the virtue of religion, his concern for the salvation of others and untainted virtue of chastity. He was a man of unshakable faith and bravery sustaining and strengthening his brothers during the persecution period. He was brutally and bizarrely murdered by his avenger, Ssenkoole, separating him from the group and burning him in a slow fire from foot to head at Namugongo Busaale to give him maximum pain on 3rd of June 1886 towards noon. He was only twenty-five years old. He died praying for the conversion of the executioners and the King. St. Charles Lwanga is the Patron of the African youths and Catholic Apostolic Action, a mission in which all Christians participate.
ST. KIZITO
He was the youngest of all the Uganda Catholic Martyrs who died at the age of 14, having been born around 1872 at Waluleeta, Bulemeezi in Nandere Parish. His father was Lukomera of the King Mwanga ‘s palace in 1884 where he served in the king’s private apartment. Kizito was a very good boy in all aspects, smart, witty, intelligent, committed to work, always jolly, friendly, kind, a quick at executing tasks, good at sports mainly swimming and wrestling. He was also good at music, particularly playing the xylophone. All this made him popular with his companions. He was very much loved by the king just as he was much loved by Pere Mapeera. He resisted and was protected from the sexual vices in the palace by Charles Lwanga who baptized him on 26th May 1886, early in the morning of day of judgement at Munyonjo. He was given the name John Baptist. It must be noted that when Charles Lwanga intuited the danger of killing Christians, he asked the children in the palace to go and hide but Kizito refused to go. He stayed with Charles Lwanga ready to die for Jesus Christ. He was burnt alive at Namugongo together with the others on Thursday, June 3rd, 1886. His calmness, joy and prayerfulness and ability to strengthen the others during the whole week of persecution and even during the holocaust are very striking. They only come from the spirit of a martyr as a grace given by God. He is the Patron of children particularly those below the age of fifteen.