Bishop Senyonjo, Uganda’s renowned LGBTQI+ ally, dies at 94
Senyonjo was an outspoken advocate for LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda and globally.
The LGBTQI+ community in Uganda is mourning the death of one of its strongest and highest ranking allies in the Ugandan clergy; Bishop Christopher Senyonjo.
According to friends and family members, the senior cleric died on July 19 after spending close to two months in hospital.
On July 6, the advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) put up a post on X saying the Bishop was not well and needed prayers and financial support from well-wishers to cover some of the medical costs.
“For many years, Bishop has stood with us, offering hope, guidance, and unconditional love. He has recently been sick for several weeks. Today, he needs our prayers and support more than ever.
“We kindly ask you to keep Bishop Senyonjo in your prayers. If you are able, please consider making a contribution toward his medical care and recovery. Every gift makes a difference, and every prayer brings hope” — SMUG.
However, Senyonjo’s time had come and no amount of financial support was going to stop the 94-year-old cleric from meeting his creator, whom he served passionately.
On July 19, the news of his passing was all over the media, with LGBTQI+ rights advocates in particular expressing grief and praising the deceased for his unwavering support for the rights of LGBTQI+ persons. SMUG issued the following obituary;
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bishop Christopher Senyonjo.
For many years, Bishop Senyonjo stood with us, offering hope, compassion, courage, and unconditional love. He dedicated his life to serving others especially those who had been marginalized and rejected.
His unwavering faith, kindness, and commitment to human rights will continue to inspire us. Though he is no longer with us, his legacy of love, inclusion, and service will live on in our hearts and in the lives of everyone he touched.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who mourn his passing. May they find comfort in the extraordinary life he lived and the enduring impact of his work. Rest in peace, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. Your light will never be forgotten.
Kuchu Times Media Group described him as a bishop who chose love over doctrine:
Rest in power, Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo. At 94, he leaves behind a legacy few dared to build: a bishop who chose love over doctrine, and stood with Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community when silence would have been easier. His courage was rare. His compassion was rarer still.
Richard Lusimbo, the head of the Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC) ,eulogized the now late bishop as follows;
Bishop showed us that justice demands courage, conviction, and compassion. His life was a testament to standing with those whose voices are too often ignored. His legacy lives on in all who continue the struggle for equality and human dignity.
Frank Mugisha, the Executive Director at SMUG and one of the people who visited the bishop in hospital, could not conceal his sadness at the passing of his longtime friend. He wrote on X:
Deeply saddened by the passing of Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. A fearless ally to Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community, he stood for love, justice, and human dignity when many would not. His compassion, courage, and legacy of inclusion will live on. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him.
In 2014, following the enactment of the cruel Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014 (and before it was overturned by the Constitutional Court), Bishop Senyonjo and Frank Mugisha were listed by the Red Pepper tabloid among those it described as the “200 Top Homos” referring to the bishop as a gay sympathizer.
Born on Dec. 8, 1931, Senyonjo served as the Anglican Bishop of West Buganda Diocese from 1974 until his retirement in 1998. Prior to the position of bishop, Senyonjo attended theological institutions in Uganda and the United States and served in various capacities before being assigned in 1968 to the Theological College Mukuno, where he taught on African traditional religion.
In 1973 he worked with a group of Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist and Anglican priests to jointly translate the Bible into Luganda.
After his retirement, Senyonjo embarked on a counselling career during which he welcomed LGBQI+ persons.
He firmly believed and always stated that one doesn’t need to be converted first to another sexuality to be loved by God.
In 2000, Senyonjo took in two LGBTQI+ youths who had been rejected by their own families, schools and communities because they expressed their sexuality differently. They were worried. They told him, “This is what we are. People do not understand us but that is what we are.”
From this point, there was no turning back for the cleric, who became an outspoken advocate for LGBTQI+ rights in Uganda and globally.
In 2021, Erasing 76 Crimes interviewed Bishop Senyonjo on his advocacy in a country where hostility to LGBTQI+ rights is rampant.
He told our correspondent Joto La Jiwe that his superiors in the Church of Uganda were not happy with his decision to not only welcome but reach out to the LGBTQI+ community.
“My Church was not happy to hear that. They were happy with my previous counseling because I did a lot of counselling for the Church, but when they heard that I told these people (LGBTQI+ persons) they could be accepted as they are, they said I should condemn these people. That is where the struggle began”, Senyonjo said.
When asked about the decision by the Church of Uganda to disown him in 2006, Bishop Senyonjo laughed off the move saying;
“… Some people thought I was going to leave the Anglican Church. I said, of course I am not. It is like when you have been a leader of a certain country, you retire of course, but you do not really abandon the title. With the bishop, you cannot say you are no longer a bishop really. You are consecrated for life, so logically, you remain a bishop. So I said I am not starting any church. I will share with my fellow bishops and engage in dialogue”. Read the full interview here.
The bishop has also been a strong critic of the both the AHA 2014 and AHA 2023, referring to the laws as inhumane and in violation of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Ten years ago, he unveiled a 152-page book titled; “In Defense of All God’s Children”.
He has also featured in a number of documentaries in which he urged faith leaders not to unite in excluding the LGBTQI+ persons but to unite in inclusion.
In 2012, he received the Clinton Global Citizen Award for LGBT rights for his outstanding work to support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people through the St. Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Centre in Kampala. The award was presented to him by President Bill Clinton.
There may be a few other faith leaders who share the fallen bishop’s gospel of inclusion, but there seems to be none at the level of bishop who is courageous enough to consistently preach love for LGBTQI+ people in Uganda as Senyonjo did, even in the face of danger.
The LGBTQI+ community in Uganda has indeed lost a strong ally.
