Favour from Above: How St. Andrew Kaawha’s Intercession Led Kasirivu to MP, Ministerial Positions

The former lands minister, Baltazar Kasirivu Atwooki, has shared the story of how his election and subsequent appointment to a ministerial position in 2016 were the result of an answered prayer, thanks to St. Andrew Kaggwa.

Kasirivu was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bugangaizi West in the 2016 election and later appointed as the State Minister for Economic Monitoring in the Cabinet of Uganda.

According to Kasirivu, his election was no ordinary occurrence. He regarded it as a favour bestowed upon him by St. Andrew Kaawha, whom he had implored for assistance in securing the seat.

He explained, “In 2015, as I was going for my election, I prayed to St. Andrew Kaawha, saying, ‘Please intercede for me so that I win the election.’ I easily won and was appointed as a Minister. I then went back and built a pavilion similar to the one at Namugongo, although we lack water.”

Since then, Kasirivu has taken it upon himself to advocate for St. Andrew Kaawha. He extended an invitation to all Parishioners of Uganda Martyrs Munyonyo to embark on a pilgrimage to Kooki, the hometown of Andrew Kaawha.

Kasirivu made these remarks on the fifth day of the Martyrs Novena at Munyonyo this evening. It is worth noting that Hoima Diocese is home to two martyrs, Andereya Kaawha and Anatooli Kiligwajo.

Meanwhile, Monsignor John Wynand Katende, the main celebrant of today’s Novena Mass, emphasized that anyone who simply dismisses the Uganda Martyrs as religious fanatics or political rebels fails to grasp their true significance.

He stated that the Martyrs were, in fact, the greatest patriots Uganda has ever known, as they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country’s greatness.

Msgr. Katende stresses that Christian Martyrdom triumphs over persecutors on their own ground. Despite enduring unimaginable torture, the Martyrs steadfastly refused to succumb to the demands of their tormentors, ultimately embracing a violent death rather than renouncing their faith.

Mass was also attended by at least 50 pilgrims from Congo, led by one Father Joseph who stopped by, on their way to Namugongo.