The Hidden Life of Festo Kivengere

Festo Kivengere was born in the lush hills of Kigezi in southwestern Uganda in the year 1919. The land where he grew up was rich with banana groves, misty mountains, and songs that echoed through the valleys at sunrise. His family was part of the Bakiga people, strong in body and fierce in spirit. They honored their ancestors and feared the unseen world, for the gospel had not yet taken deep root in their region. From childhood he felt the weight of that fear, yet he also carried a secret longing for a God who could bring peace instead of dread.

Missionaries from the Church Missionary Society had begun to reach his area during his youth, and Festo was among the first children to attend their small school built from mud and timber. There he learned to read the Scriptures and to speak English. The words of Jesus fascinated him. They carried a tenderness unlike anything he had heard in tribal religion. As he read the story of the cross for the first time, something within him awakened. He saw that God Himself had come near to the suffering of men, and his heart was never the same.

In his teenage years he was baptized and soon became a teacher in the mission school. He was gentle with his students and known for his humor, but beneath the calmness there burned a deep seriousness about the things of God. In 1942 he attended a Christian youth conference led by the early leaders of the East African Revival. The meeting lasted several days, filled with prayer, confession, and testimonies of transformed lives. On the final day, Festo fell to his knees and surrendered completely to Christ. He would later write that it was as if a flood of light entered his soul and all the burdens he had carried vanished in the presence of love.

That encounter marked him for life. He became one of the youngest voices in the revival that swept across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The revival emphasized repentance, walking in the light, and daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Festo preached these truths with freshness and authority. He traveled on foot from village to village, often sleeping in huts and preaching under the open sky. His smile and laughter drew people, but his prayers broke them. He carried a presence of grace that softened even the hardest hearts.

He married Mera Kivengere, a woman of deep faith who shared his burden for the nation. Together they labored to strengthen the church through teaching, prayer, and reconciliation. In 1959 Festo was ordained as an Anglican priest and began serving in parishes across southern Uganda. His ministry quickly grew beyond local boundaries. He was called to lead conferences and missions throughout East Africa, where multitudes came to Christ through his simple preaching of the cross.

In 1977, during the reign of President Idi Amin, the nation of Uganda descended into terror. The church was persecuted, pastors were arrested, and fear stalked every village. On the sixteenth of February that year Archbishop Janani Luwum was executed after opposing the regime's violence. Festo Kivengere was among those closest to him. When news of the martyrdom spread, he knew his own life was in danger. Yet he stood before his congregation the next Sunday and preached on the love of Christ that forgives even enemies. He later wrote that he could not preach hatred when the blood of his brother was crying for mercy.

Shortly afterward he was forced to flee the country. Escaping through the mountains into Rwanda, he crossed the border with almost nothing but his Bible. There in exile he wept for his nation. Many nights he prayed until dawn, interceding for those who were suffering under tyranny. It was during those years that he wrote his most famous book, I Love Idi Amin. The title shocked the world, yet it was born out of the crucible of prayer. In that book he explained that forgiveness is the weapon of the Spirit and that hatred cannot heal a wounded nation. He declared, "Love is stronger than bullets."

His exile became a new ministry. He traveled across Europe and America, calling believers to forgive, to pray, and to stand with the suffering church. Crowds were moved to tears as he recounted the agony of Uganda and the power of Christ to redeem it. He spoke quietly but with an authority that came from brokenness. He would pause in the middle of his sermons, close his eyes, and pray aloud, "Lord, teach us to love our enemies as You have loved us." His life became a living sermon of reconciliation.

When the dictatorship ended and it was safe to return, he went back to Uganda with humility, refusing honors or political positions. He resumed his pastoral work and focused on rebuilding the church that persecution had scattered. His emphasis was always on holiness, integrity, and unity. He taught that true revival cannot live where there is resentment. His presence brought healing wherever he went. Leaders who had once been divided embraced each other under his gentle guidance.

His prayer life was deep and hidden. Each morning before dawn he rose to commune with God. He often prayed through the Psalms, singing softly as he knelt. Those who stayed in his home said that the sound of his praying was like a river flowing steadily through the house. He prayed for individuals by name, for the young believers he had discipled, for the missionaries abroad, and for the peace of nations. He wept easily, not from sorrow alone but from the tenderness of divine compassion.

He kept his heart simple. Even as crowds followed him and the world began to recognize his influence, he remained clothed in humility. He lived with few possessions, preferring to give away what he had. He fasted frequently, not from ritual but from hunger for God. When asked about the secret of his ministry, he said, "My secret is no secret. It is the Holy Spirit praying through a weak man."

In the final years of his life he served as a bishop in the Church of Uganda and became a father to younger pastors. He traveled to conferences but always returned to his small prayer room where his ministry had begun. His body grew weak from years of labor and travel, but his spirit shone with undiminished light. In January 1988, while visiting England for ministry, he fell ill. Surrounded by friends and his wife, he whispered that he was ready to see Jesus. On the third of February 1988, he quietly slipped into the presence of the Lord he had loved with all his heart.