By Kiwala Caroline Tahir
Exactly one year ago today, on 22nd October 2025, the Diocese of Jinja and the entire Catholic Church in Uganda was plunged into deep mourning. Our shepherd, the Rt. Rev. Charles Martin Wamika, answered the final call to his eternal reward at Rubaga Hospital in Kampala at the age of 72, after a humble and courageous battle with prostate cancer.
Today, as we mark his First Death Anniversary, we do not just mourn his absence; we celebrate a life well-lived and a legacy that continues to speak louder than death — a legacy that is physically standing before us today as Uganda Martyrs Hospital, Jinja.
Bishop Wamika was a true son of the soil. Born on 12th August 1953 in Budaka District, ordained priest on 22nd September 1979, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Tororo on 18th October 1993 by Pope St. John Paul II and consecrated on 19th February 1994. On 2nd March 2010, Pope Benedict XVI entrusted him with the Diocese of Jinja. His Episcopal motto, _Ut omnes unum sint_ – “May they be one”, defined his entire ministry.
THE CENTERPIECE OF TODAY: THE INAUGURATION OF UGANDA MARTYRS HOSPITAL, JINJA
Today’s celebration is double, and that is divine providence.
This very hospital we are inaugurating today on 22nd October 2026 — on the exact first anniversary of his death — was his own dream. Bishop Wamika announced this project when Jinja Diocese animated the 2023 Uganda Martyrs Day Celebrations at Namugongo. He envisioned a health facility that would heal the body and soul, built on Catholic values of compassion, dignity, privacy and respect for the vulnerable.
To inaugurate it on the day he died is no coincidence. It is God speaking to us. It is the greatest tribute we can give him. It says loudly: THE CHURCH CONTINUES!!The shepherd may be called home, but his vision lives, his mission continues, and his love continues to heal.
This hospital stands as a living monument of his pastoral lesson on self-reliance. Bishop Wamika taught Christians to move away from dependency on donor funding to independence. He believed a local church must be built by its own people. Uganda Martyrs Hospital is proof that his people listened.
Other Enduring Legacy Projects:
- St. Gonzaga Gonza Minor Seminary, Iganga: Initiated to secure the future of priestly vocations, still under construction.
2. The Diocesan Commercial Building in Bugiri District: A visionary project to house Centenary Bank in Bugiri, to ensure the Diocese has sustainable income for its pastoral work — another sign of his teaching on moving from dependency to self-sustainability.
A Shepherd of Growth and Inclusion
When Bishop Wamika arrived in Jinja in 2010, he found 21 parishes. By the time of his death, he had doubled it to 44 parishes. He welcomed many religious congregations with different apostolates into the Diocese, seeing in their charisms unity in diversity.
His pastoral approach was uniquely inclusive — he ensured everyone had a voice: Council for Women, Council for Men, Council for Children, Council for the Elderly, Council for Persons with Disabilities, Council for the Religious, and the Youth.
A Humble Servant to the End
Bishop Wamika never lived a luxurious life. He lived simply and never accumulated personal wealth. Every coin belonged to the Church! A true testament of self-sacrifice.
He was laid to rest on 28th October 2025 inside St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Rubaga, Jinja City — the first Bishop to be buried inside that Cathedral.
Today, under the care of the Apostolic Administrator, Most Rev. Emmanuel Obbo, the foundation he laid remains firm.
May the soul of the Rt. Rev. Charles Martin Wamika, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Ut omnes unum sint – May they be one.
Kiwala Caroline Tahir – Niece to the Late Bishop Charles Martin Wamika_
Assistant RDC – Iganga District
The post One year on: Remembering Bishop Charles Martin Wamika, His Enduring Legacy & Inauguration of Uganda Martyrs Hospital, Jinja appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.