President Yoweri Museveni has criticised his predecessor the late Idi Amin for allegedly killing Archbishop Janani Luwum.
The late bishop who was killed on February 16, 1977 under orders of former President Idi Amin after the late clergyman blamed the dictator for his regime’s cruelty. Official accounts say Bishop Luwum died in a car crash, which is disputed as it is said to have been stage managed.
Speaking during the 44th Janani Luwum day celebrations at State house Entebbe, Museveni said there was no reason for Idi Amin to kill Bishop Luwum, even if he was criticizing him.
“He could have just ignored him but Idi Amin was also illiterate and yet he was managing state infrastructure. People who kill other people are lazy and they are cowards,” he said.
“There are some people who want to disturb our peace but we can’t accept that. Our freedom fighters are still here, no one will destabilize us. Our peace will not be disturbed,” he said and urged Ugandans to look at what is happening in Congo and south Sudan.
In 2015, President Museveni gazetted February 16th as Archbishop Janani Luwum Day, a public holiday for the country to celebrate life.
The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kazimba, asked president Museveni to gazette 29th of October as a public holiday in remembrance of Bishop James Hannington the first Anglican bishop of East Africa.
He was killed on orders of Kabaka Mwanga II on 29 October 1885. His alleged last words to the soldiers who killed him were: “Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood.”
