History
The Bahá’í Faith in Uganda
The Bahá’i Faith is an independent world religion revealed on 23rd May 1844 in Shiraz, Iran when The Báb declared that He came to prepare the way for Bahá’u’lláh, the Promised One of God. On the 2nd August 1951, 107 years later, the Bahá’í Faith reached Uganda. A group of 6 pioneers (Musa and Samiyyih Banani, Ali and Violette Nakhjavani and their daughter Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, all from Iran and Mr. Philip Hainsworth, from the United Kingdom) settled in Kampala and Jinja and began sharing the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to people receptive to the great message of the new Day of God.
By 2nd February 1952, four native Ugandans (Mr. Crispian Kajubi, Mr. Fred Bigambwa, Mr. Peter Musoke, and Mr. Enoch Olinga) had embraced the Bahá’í Faith. Mr Enock Olinga was later appointed to the station of the Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi – Guardian of the Faith. On April 1952, the first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Kampala the first such institution in Sub-Saharan Africa was formed. By January 1953, more than 200 Ugandans from no less than sixteen tribes of Uganda, from all religious backgrounds and all levels of educational background had accepted the Bahá’í Faith.
Early in 1953, Uganda was privileged to host one of the four Intercontinental Bahá’í Conferences held to commemorate the 100th year of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. This auspicious occasion also marked the launch of the Ten Year Teaching Plan (1953-1963) during which the Baha’i teachings reached most of the countries in the World. After these International Conferences, a number of believers from Uganda arose to carry the faith to Ruanda-Urundi, Belgian Congo, French Equatorial Africa and the British Cameroons. In April 1956, the first Regional Assembly of Central and East Africa comprised of Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika, Ruanda-Urundi, Belgian Congo, French Equatorial Africa, Comoros Islands, and Seychelles Island was formed with its headquarters in Kampala.
In 1958, the construction of the first Bahá’í House of Worship (The Bahá’í Temple) in Africa, commenced on Kikaaya Hill and was opened to the public on 15th January 1961. The dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship for public worship was attended by some 1,500 people including representatives of many races, creeds and nationalities. In April 1963, a historical event of profound significance took place. The first Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body of the Bahá’í Faith in the world was elected. October 1967 saw the construction of National Bahá’í Centre on the Temple grounds. In the same month, Uganda hosted one of the six International Conferences to celebrate the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamation of His Faith to the Kings and Rulers of the world.
In the 1970s all the countries that had been previously administered under the Regional Assembly of Central and East Africa since 1956 had elected National Spiritual Assemblies. Consequently, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Uganda was incorporated as a legal entity in the country and the community celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1976.
Unfortunately, the following year on 16th September, the activities of the Bahá’í Faith and several other religious communities were banned by the then government. This ban lasted two years (1977-1979) before activities were revived and reconstruction of the Bahá’í community began. To steer the reconstruction of the community, the Universal House of Justice appointed a seven member interim national administrative body – the Administrative Committee of the Bahá’ís of Uganda – to revive the local communities and prepare the country for the re-election of the National Spiritual Assembly. Sadly, on 16th September 1979, the Bahá’í Community of Uganda was beset by a tragic event in its history when Mr. Enoch Olinga – the Hand of the Cause of God – together with his wife and three (3) children were brutally murdered from their home.
The 1980s came with renewed promise as the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Uganda was re-elected in April of 1981. From then on, the revitalization of the Baha’i Community was vigorously pursued. To systemize the growth of the Faith, a program for human resources development called the Ruhi Institute process was introduced in the 1990’s.
The Golden Jubilee of the Bahá’í Faith in Uganda celebrations at the beginning of August 2001 ushered the Bahá’í Community of Uganda into the new millennium. The memorable celebration was graced with the presence of four of the first six pioneers to Uganda; Mr. Ali and Mrs. Violette Nakhjavani, Ms. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, and Mr. Philip Hainsworth. Another momentous occasion was observed in 2011 with the celebration of the Golden Jubilee marking 50 years anniversary of the Bahá’í House of Worship which stands as a symbol of Unity and progress.
As the Bahá'í Community continues to expand globally and nationally, its activities also continue to grow. The presence of the Mother Temple (Bahá'í House of Worship in Africa) makes it an attractive location for gatherings. In 2013, Uganda’s hosted yet another Conference (12th – 16th September 2013), one of the 114 Regional Bahá’í Youth Conferences attended by over 1,000 youth (both boys and girls) from all areas of Uganda and the South Sudan.