Bisaka’s death was publicly confirmed on Saturday evening by the family members through the Head of communications in the faith of unity, Omukwenda Turyamureba.
The Family of Desteo Owobusobozi Bisaka and members of the Faith
of Unity have finally confirmed his death.
Bisaka’s death was publicly confirmed on Saturday evening by the family
members through the Head of communications in the faith of unity, Omukwenda
Turyamureba.
“Abeeka Ya Omukama Ruhanga Owobusobozi Bisaka N’orukurato oruhabuzi
orwenyikiriza y’obumu aba faith of Unity Healing City-Kapyeemi Uganda-Africa
nibamanyisa abaikiriza obumu boona,abakuru ba Gafumenti hamu nabantu boona
abali hanu omu Ugandan hamu n’omunsi yoona,Okurugwaho kwobwomeezi gwa
Omukama Ruhanga Owobusobozi Bisaka Ayahangireho Enyikiriza y’obumu ey’abantu
boona.Entekanizia ezindi zoona Zirasangwa Nibamanyisibwa,”read the statement.
Translation
“The family of Owobusobozi Bisaka and the entire faith of Unity
healing City-Kapyeemi Uganda-Africa inform all followers of the faith of Unity,
government officials and members of the public both within and outside Uganda
about the death of the leader of Faith of Unity. Other burial arrangements will
be communicated to you later,.
Without giving further details, Turyamureba said the body of Bisaka will
arrive at the faith of unity headquarters in Kapyeemi cell, Muhorro town
council, Kagadi district on Sunday from Kampala.
//Cue in:”Abeka yo Mukama…
Cue out:…Habwa Orukurato ruhabuzi.”//
Turyamureba has asked the followers of the faith of unity and the general
public to remain calm. He however did not mention when Bisaka will be laid to
rest.
//cue in;”Nabwekyo habwo burwaire…
Cue out:…Ne bindi bikuhonderaho.”//
Since last week rumours about the death of Biska have been rife on
social media causing tension among his followers but no one came out to
publicly confirm his death.
Who is Bisaka?
He was born on 11 June 1930 in Kitoma-Kiboizi village in Buyanja
county, Kibaale district in Western Uganda. His parents were Petero Byombi and
Agnes Kabaoora.
Both of them were staunch members of Bujuni Catholic parish in Kagadi district.
Bisaka spent little time with his parents as he lived and grew up with his
grandparents from the age of eight years. His father was a
catholic catechist as was his grandfather, Alifonsio Wenkere, who was a pioneer
convert at Bujuni Catholic parish.
His grandmother, Martha Nyakaka was also a Catholic convert and a captive in
the palace of Mengo where she witnessed the martyrdom of Charles Lwanga and 21
other Ugandan martyrs in the 19thcentury.
Bisaka grew up and attended Mugalike School were in 1944; he applied to enrol
into the Catholic seminary where local priests were being trained.
Failing to be admitted to the Catholic priesthood training program, he went to
Nsamizi Teachers College, Mityana, where he trained to become a teacher.
On graduation, he was employed at Muhorro Catholic Primary School, where he
taught for 35 years. Like his father and grandfather who were catechists in the
Catholic Church, Bisaka was a prominent member of the local church and leader
of the parish laity.
He was parish council secretary, a position that gave him access to a
high-level decision-making platform in the management of the ritual life of the
church.
Because the ecclesiastic leadership noticed his devotion, he was also appointed
as the advisor to the group known as the Legion of Mary Mother of Grace Confraternity.
Here he had to guide the members of the laity in their devotion to Mary, the
mother of Jesus Christ, as well as teach the group elements of Catholic
doctrines and liaise between the group’s leadership and parish and diocesan
leadership of the Catholic Church.
Significant in Bisaka’s future ambition and mission was his musical gifts and
skills, which led to his appointment into the Catholic Diocese of Hoima’s
liturgical committee.
As the choirmaster of the parish in Muhorro, he was a composer of
liturgical hymns for the church beyond the parish level, a practice that soon
brought recognition and popularity to him, but also a grudge.
The Catholic Diocese of Hoima made use of his hymns in its rituals
without adequately remunerating him. While Bisaka’s sacred hymn composition
started in 1966, it was not until 1975 that a radical change occurred that
would ultimately precipitate the formation of the Fountain of Unity.
In 1975, Bisaka composed a hymn; Nkaikiriza Ruhanga Murungi (My
God is good). As the lyrics of this song indicate, it is theologically
meaningful and cheerful–hence its popularity within and outside the Catholic
Church in East Africa.
It is claimed that from the time this song was first used in Catholic
liturgy, Bisaka started experiencing unusual vibrations in his hand.
There started coming in his arms a special kind of power whenever
he would sing it the song in church, a phenomenon that increased with time and
became noticed by a large circle of church members including some of the
clerics, who attributed it to the ‘composing of the hymn,
Nkaikiriza.
After five years of trying to understand the spiritual and bodily
change that he was experiencing, Bisaka claimed to have heard a voice of God
commanding him. “You shall heal people by touching them”. However, URN
could not independently verify this claim.
For three months Bisaka was hesitant, even afraid and unsure of
what to do, but the voice was repeatedly insistent as well.
The date for the establishment of the Faith of Unity is 22
February 1980 and it is believed that on this day Bisaka reluctantly touched a
young woman suffering from severe and debilitating feverish conditions
associated with malaria. She was instantly healed and restored to
health.
His sacred duty is to fight Satan and unify humankind through
preaching unity, using healing to draw people together and capture their
attention resulting in people bringing many sick people to him to be healed by
physically touching them.
For decades since the formation of Faith of Unity, Bisaka has
gathered a large following and he is explicitly believed by followers
(Abaikiriza) to be God.
The core doctrine of the Faith of Unity is about the divinity of
Bisaka.
Soon after his healing activities started, Bisaka had another spiritual
experience, which is described by some elders of the movement as a trance-like
event where ‘he went to see the Lord of hosts, an experience that lasted for three
days.
From this experience emerged a tripartite conception of the deity
of which Bisaka was elevated into godhood with a full title of Omukama Ruhanga
Owobusobozi Bisaka, loosely translated as ‘the Lord God of the power of
God.
The remaining two personalities of the deity are the Lord God of
hosts and the Lord God of holiness. His sacred duty is to fight Satan and unify
humankind through preaching unity, using healing to draw people together and
capture their attention.
The Faith of Unity congregation prays every second, 12th and 22nd
day of the month. For the rest of the days, each follower develops a list of
good things they hope for daily.
The group does not believe in the Bible, calling it divisive but
use ‘the book of the Faith of Unity’ authored by Owobusobozi and spells out
cleaning courtyards, grazing animals, washing, hunting, donating, smiling at
friends and praying to God as deeds that can give one eternal life.
