Matiya Mulumba was a Ugandan Catholic who lived from 1836 to 1886. Originally from Bunya county in Busoga, he was initially a follower of Islam before converting to Catholicism in 1880. He was baptized in Mityana by Pere Ludovic Girault. While working on the reconstruction of the palace for Kabaka Mwanga, he was arrested and sentenced to death by the Prime Minister of Buganda. He was executed at Old Kampala, where he suffered a particularly brutal death.
Life and death
After being adopted by Father Magatto, Mulumba lived with Magatto's brother, Buzibwa. Following his conversion, he became a catechumen in 1880. During the rebuilding of the royal palace, he and several others, including Charles Lwanga, were imprisoned. He was eventually condemned to death by the Prime Minister, Mukasa, and was killed at Kampala Hill through being skinned alive.
Veneration
As one of the Martyrs of Uganda, Mulumba is honored within the Catholic tradition. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 and later canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964. The Catholic Church commemorates his memory annually on June 3.