Katikkiro Martin Luther Nsibirwa MBE

Early Life

Martin Luther Nsibirwa was born in 1883 at Kirindi in Bugerere County to Kiwana—son of Munyagwa of the Nvuma clan—and Bulyaba Namusoke of the Mpindi clan. Raised partly by his Musoga stepmother Kafuko, he absorbed both Ssese Island and Busoga influences. After his baptism around 1895, his uncle Temitewo Mulondo took him to serve as a page in Sir Apollo Kaggwa’s household, where he learned literacy, public speaking, surveying, and the discipline that would define his leadership.

Service and Leadership

Nsibirwa participated in the British campaign in Tanganyika during World War I and later financed Ugandan volunteers fighting in World War II, including his own sons and nephews. Administratively he rose from Gombolola chief of Mutuba VI to Saza Chief of Bugerere (1922), acting Saza Chief of Ssingo (1924), treasurer (Omuwanika) in 1928, and Katikkiro of Buganda in 1929. He promoted agriculture, oversaw tax integrity, built Twekobe and chiefs’ residences, and safeguarded the Bulange treasury—earning honours from both the British Government and the Kabaka.

Legacy

Nsibirwa married Damali Nawaggi in 1905 and later wed additional wives, ensuring every child received an education and nightly spiritual grounding at the Butikiro homestead. Even after political opponents forced his resignation over the Namasole remarrying, he remained respected as a principled elder. His enduring legacy lives on through the Virtual Museum of Martin Luther Nsibirwa and the many descendants who continue his commitment to service, unity, and faith.