On January 6, 1948, a young Ugandan schoolteacher named Janani Luwum encountered Jesus during an East African Revival meeting in his village. The transformation was immediate and total. He turned evangelist at once, warning others about sin and pointing them to Christ.
Archbishop Under Idi Amin's Regime
Luwum rose through the Anglican Church, eventually becoming Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga-Zaire in 1974—during the darkest days of Idi Amin's brutal dictatorship.
Amin's regime had already killed an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 Ugandans. People disappeared in the night. Bodies floated down the Nile. Fear gripped the nation.
Standing Against Evil Government
But Janani Luwum would not be silent.
He regularly visited the State Research Bureau—Amin's personal murder factory—to plead for political prisoners. He spoke publicly against the killings. In February 1977, the Anglican bishops issued a letter directly protesting Amin's policies of arbitrary killings and unexplained disappearances.
Final Witness Before Martyrdom
Amin was furious. On February 16, 1977, soldiers arrested Archbishop Luwum along with two government ministers.
As Luwum was being taken away, he turned to his fellow bishops with these final words: "Do not be afraid. I see God's hand in this."
The government announced he died in a car accident. But when his body was returned to relatives, they found he had been shot at least four times—through the mouth and chest. Witnesses later testified he had been beaten, tortured, and murdered, possibly by Amin himself.
Archbishop Janani Luwum died as he had lived: faithful to Christ, unafraid of evil men.
Legacy of Fearless Faith
His martyrdom galvanized international opposition to Amin's regime. Within two years, Amin was overthrown. In 1998, Luwum's statue was unveiled at Westminster Abbey—one of ten 20th-century martyrs honored there. Uganda now celebrates February 16 as a national holiday in his memory.
The man who said "Do not be afraid" gave his life so others could live without fear.
