Remembering Rev. Dr Christopher Senyonjo

Clergyman, pastor, and human rights defender.

By Professor Adriaan van Klinken

The Rev. Dr Christopher Disani Senyonjo, who on Sunday 19 July 2026 passed away in Kampala, Uganda, at the age of 94, leaves a rich legacy of service, pastoral ministry and social activism.

Senyonjo was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the University of Leeds on 17 July 2018, in recognition of his outstanding work as clergyman and LGBT human rights defender in Uganda. The official citation read at the award ceremony stated:

“The Rev. Senyonjo has been one of the few religious leaders in Uganda, and indeed in Africa, who actively supports LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people and advocates for the recognition of their human rights, in a context of widespread and often violent homophobia. He has used a wide range of methods for his activism and advocacy, ranging from preaching, pastoral support and writing, to political lobbying.”

Born on 8 December 1931, he was given the name ‘Senyonjo’, which signifies cleanness, and which was derived from the totem of his family clan, the egret (a white bird common in East Africa). Reflecting on this later, in his autobiography, he writes: ‘I feel that the name “Senyonjo” has shaped my life as I put “love” first of all other pursuits in the universe. Love is the cleanest concept that I can ever imagine in this life and thereafter.’

Bishop Senyonjo and other religious leaders at an event hosted by the Universal Coalition of Affirming Africans—Uganda, in 2023. Credits to UCAA-UG.

After a short career as a secondary-school teacher, and following the tragic death of his first wife, Ruth, shortly after their wedding in 1959, Senyonjo felt he was called into church ministry. Embarking on the path to priesthood, he studied for a diploma in theology at Buwalasi Theological College in Mbale, Uganda, which he completed in 1963. In the same year, he was ordained as deacon in the (Anglican) Church of Uganda, and also married his second wife, Mary, with whom he established a family and shared life until her death in 2021. In 1964, Senyono was given the opportunity to study at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity (1966) and a Master of Sacred Theology (1967). While studying in the USA, on 19 December 1964 he was ordained as priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Soon after returning to Uganda, Senyonjo was appointed as vicar of Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala in 1968, while a year later he became full-time lecturer at Bishop Tucker Theological College at Mukono. In 1974, he was enthroned as Bishop of the Diocese of West Buganda, a position he held for 24 years, until his retirement in 1998.

Throughout his ministry as a priest and bishop, Senyono developed a particular interest in questions of marriage and sexuality. This led him to pursue a Doctorate of Ministry at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, USA (1982-83), where he wrote a dissertation titled ‘Polygamy, Monogamy and Divorce: A Biblical, Historical and African Perspective’. Here, he advocated for a pastorally sensitive approach to people in polygamous marriages, who traditionally were banned by the Church from receiving the sacraments. His interest in these questions took a new direction in the late 1990s, when he came into contact with people ostracized because of their sexual orientation. As Senyonjo narrates:

“My journey into the ministry towards LGBTIQ people began around the time that I retired in 1998. Throughout my ministry as a bishop, I have always had a concern about people who are marginalized in society. I started counselling a number of young people that came to me with problems commonly regarded as unacceptable. Some in the church told me that I should condemn these people. Yet, I responded by saying that Christ was not in the habit of sending people away; these ones are also welcome.”

At a time that questions of same-sex relationships and LGBT rights became increasingly contested and politicised, both in Ugandan society and in the global Anglican Communion, Senyonjo became one of the few religious leaders in Uganda who actively supported members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and advocated the recognition of their human rights.

Among many other things, he has provided pastoral counselling to many members of the Ugandan LGBT community; openly testified against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and was part of a delegation to the Ugandan House of Parliament to oppose it; was founder and executive director of St Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Centre in Kampala, which offers health, economic, psycho-social and spiritual services to people marginalized because of their sexuality; has advocated within the Church of Uganda the acceptance of LGBT people; and within the global Anglican Communion has spoken up for the recognition of sexual diversity.

Senyonjo has documented the story of his life and ministry, as well as his pastoral and theological motivation, in his autobiography, meaningfully titled In Defense of All God’s Children (Morehouse Publishing, New York, 2016).

Senyonjo has suffered personally as a result of his courageous leadership. In 2006 the Church of Uganda stripped him from all his entitlements as an ordained minister and retired bishop. Yet he has also received international recognition. In 2012 he received the Clinton Global Citizenship award that honours outstanding individuals for their exemplary leadership and ground-breaking work that has effected positive, lasting social change. In the same year, he was prominently featured in the documentary film Call Me Kuchu, which documents LGBT struggles in Uganda, focusing in particular on the openly gay activist David Kato who was murdered in January 2011. In the film, we see Senyonjo preaching powerfully and prophetically at Kato’s funeral, while also offering pastoral support to Kato’s bereaved mother and friends.

Recognising his outstanding work as clergyman and LGBT human rights defender in Uganda, on 17 July 2018 the University of Leeds awarded Senyonjo an honorary doctorate degree. The following day, the Leeds University Centre for African Studies and Centre for Religion and Public Life hosted a symposium marking and celebrating Senyonjo’s leadership and service, featuring him as a prominent face of an emerging LGBT-affirming narrative in African Christianity. The contributions to this symposium were later published in the journal Theology & Sexuality.

As stated earlier, Senyonjo associated his own name with a ministry of love. Looking back at his life, and the turn his ministry took after his retirement, he concluded—rightly so—that he had lived up to the expectation embedded in his name:

“I am happy because God in a wonderful way has given me many friends. I have people that I love, and they love me back, not only here in Uganda but across the world. I have many friends, which shows that my work has made a contribution to people’s lives. The service I give is of so much joy to me and I cannot say that I could have done otherwise. This is the grace of God, and I am grateful for it. It has cost me quite a lot, but I do not regret doing this work. Instead, it gives me great joy and fulfilment beyond measure doing what God wants me to do. And it gives me hope to see young people who are taking over this work!”

Senyonjo’s spirit will indeed live on in the many people he inspired, in Uganda and globally, and who are continuing his legacy of defending the human dignity and rights of those marginalised and excluded on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.

The University of Leeds, as a values-driven university committed to research and education that help shape a better future for humanity, is proud to have Senyonjo among its honorary graduates, and sends its heartfelt condolences to his family and all those mourning his death.

Acknowledgement: the above text is partly derived from Adriaan van Klinken, “Changing the narrative of sexuality in African Christianity: Bishop Christopher Senyonjo’s LGBT advocacy”, Theology & Sexuality 26/1 (2020), p. 1-6.

Personal reflections

For more than two decades, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo stood with remarkable courage, compassion, and conviction alongside LGBTQ+ people in Uganda when doing so came at great personal cost. For the past five years, he served as Vice Chairperson of the Board of the Universal Coalition of Affirming Africans Uganda (UCAA). In this role, he has been a mentor, trusted advisor, and steadfast friend whose quiet humility matched his extraordinary moral courage. Even when we asked him to consider stepping down from the Board because of his age and illness, he politely but firmly declined. He simply believed he still had more to give. He consistently asked not what recognition he would receive, but how he could help. Whether speaking publicly, offering pastoral care, guiding our organisation, or simply showing up whenever he was needed, Bishop Senyonjo demonstrated that faith can be a powerful force for dignity, justice, and inclusion. His legacy will endure through the countless lives he transformed and the hope he inspired in those who believed that faith and human rights belong together. He will forever remain so dear and near to our hearts.

Tom Twongyeirwe Junior, National Coordinator, Universal Coalition of Affirming Africans Uganda (UCAA-UG)

I remember Bishop Senyonjo as a wise and perceptive church leader. In a church which was becoming increasingly rigid and intolerant, he always maintained a strong sense of responsibility for all people, especially the marginalised and vulnerable in Uganda. In the aftermath of the fall of Amin in 1979, he had a concern for the fate of war widows. Later he defended the LGBTQA+ community, as it faced mounting hostility from a society which had previously been fairly tolerant on issues of sexual morality. Though condemned by church authorities, he remained a faithful member of his local Church of Uganda parish in Bukoto, Kampala. He continued to offer sympathetic counsel and spiritual support for all who came to him with their problems. It is good to hear that his funeral is scheduled to take place in Namirembe Cathedral. This will be a final, belated, acknowledgement of his importance in the religious life of the nation.

Revd. Dr Kevin Ward, Retired Associate Professor of African Religious Studies, University of Leeds.

I knew Bishop Christopher Senyonjo for five decades, having first met him when I was a pupil at Kako Secondary School, Masaka, in the Anglican Diocese of West Buganda. Founded by the Anglican Church through the Church Mission Society, the school lies close to the bishop’s residence and the Cathedral. Christopher became the Bishop of West Buganda in 1974. It was while I was a student at Kako that I felt a call to train for ordained ministry. After a stint at a teacher training college, I spoke to Bishop Christopher about my sense of call. I was at a much younger age than the average student at theological college in those days. Bishop Christopher and Archdeacon Erisa Wamala knew me and selected me to train for ordination at the Bishop Tucker Theological College, now the Christian University.

Over the years I came to know Bishop Christopher and his wife Mary (deceased) well. I stayed many a night and ate many a meal at their house and visited them in their home at Bukoto near Kampala after he retired. I got to know some of the children well. During my time as a tutor at the Bishop Tucker Theological College, Mukono, I met with many bishops some of whom had strong evangelistic gifts. I must say that Bishop Christopher came across are a particularly broadminded and well-informed person. His academic trajectory, right from his time as a pupil at the prestigious King’s College, Budo, was impressive. He would later specialise in pastoral counselling and family systems in Ugandan Anglican ministry, but his role extended beyond ministry in the Anglican church. His theology and pastoral work on issues of human sexuality is well known. He was a source of comfort and a counsellor to those who felt rejected because of their sexuality. He was also a marriage counsellor. As a person I found him to be very friendly and empathetic. He was one that you would feel comfortable telling your problem. He thought very deeply about things. But besides his intellect and counselling skills, Bishop Christopher was also a man of prayer.

Revd Canon Amos Kasibante (Church of England, Diocese of Leeds)

Further reading

Senyonjo’s autobiography was published by Morehouse in  New York, 2016, under the title In Defense of All God’s Children.

The book Stories of Change: Religious Leaders and LGBTIQ Inclusion in East Africa (Zed Books 2024) includes a chapter with the life story of Bishop Christopher Senyonjo. The book is published open access, and the chapter titled “Bishop Senyonjo: ‘God is still creating, and he continues to reveal things’” can be accessed freely here.

In 2020, the journal Theology & Sexuality published a special section dedicated to Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, putting his ministry in the wider context of contemporary Ugandan and African Christianity, in particular Christian politics of homosexuality and LGBT rights. The section includes the following contributions:

• Adriaan van Klinken, “Changing the narrative of sexuality in African Christianity: Bishop Christopher Senyonjo’s LGBT advocacy.”
• Adriaan van Klinken, “The future of Christianity and LGBT rights in Africa – a conversation with Rev. Dr Bishop Christopher Senyonjo.”
• Alistair McFadyen, “Understanding Senyonjo’s ministry in the light of Christian theology.”
• Kevin Ward, “Bishop Senyonjo and the Church of Uganda.”

Main image: Rev. Dr Christopher Senyonjo receives the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of Leeds in 2018. Photo credit: University of Leeds.