Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga to be Buried in Nyamitanga Cathedral

By Obed Kankiriho

MBARARA – The Archbishop Emeritus of Mbarara Archdiocese, His Grace Paul Kamuza Bakyenga, will be laid to rest within the sacred confines of Nyamitanga Cathedral in Mbarara City on Sunday.

 

Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga thus joins the esteemed ranks of individuals interred within Nyamitanga Cathedral, following in the footsteps of Fr Francis-Xavier Lacoursiere of the White Fathers, who was the first Bishop to find his final resting place there.

 

Fr Francis-Xavier dutifully served as the initial Bishop of Rwenzori Vicariate from 1934 to 1956, until Nyamitanga hill was ordained as the Vicariate.

 

 

The venerable Servant of God, aged 79, peacefully passed away on Tuesday morning at Nsambya Hospital in Kampala, where he had been undergoing routine medical check-ups.

 

At the time of this report, preparations for the burial were already underway within the sacred precincts of Nyamitanga Cathedral.

 

According to the tentative burial program, the casket containing the mortal remains of Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga will arrive in Mbarara at Nyamitanga hill this Friday, following a requiem Mass at Lubaga Cathedral in Kampala.

 

Born in 1944 in Bumbaire, Igara, Bushenyi district, the distinguished Archbishop Emeritus Bakyenga assumed the mantle of the Bishop of Mbarara in 1989, succeeding the late Bishop John Baptist Kakubi, who had previously tendered his resignation.

 

In 1999, when Mbarara Diocese was elevated to the status of an archdiocese, Bakyenga was appointed as its Archbishop, thus becoming the inaugural holder of this esteemed title.

 

He faithfully discharged his duties in this exalted role until his well-deserved retirement in 2020.