Muzeeyi himself seems to have been blessed with a whole series of different names. When Muzeeyi was still quite young, a sub-chief named Kabega, proceeding on transfer from Ggomba to a new post at Seguku, saw him herding cattle and promptly kidnapped him. On arriving at the capital, he sold the boy to an acquaintance named Bigomba who in turn sold him to the Kabaka for a piece of cloth and a gourd of beer an age too tender to become a page. When he was considered old enough, he became one of the royal pages and when the plague epidemic broke out in 1881, Muzeeyi was granted leave of absence from the Court and went to stay at Mutundwe where he got to know some Christians or catechumens who gave him his first lessons in the Catholic faith.

It was probably on his return from this spell of leave that he joined the group of pages under Joseph Mukasa and quickly endeared himself to that young leader by his thirst for knowledge of the faith. Kiwanuka Muzeeyi was baptized on Sunday November 1st 1885 and given the name John Mary.

Soon after his baptism and confirmation Muzeeyi was forced by the Missionaries to go into hiding. He had to flee for his life from King Mwanga’s rage of killing the Christians. Muzeeyi, with other fugitive Christians, wandered from place to place through forests, marshes, thick jungle etc. Muzeeyi collected the former slaves he had rescued by paying a ransom to the Arabs and Muslim chiefs who had enslaved them and went with him into hiding because their lives were not safe either.

Muzeeyi’s main aim in taking the boys with him was to teach them religion and to save their lives. In spite of the hiding atmosphere, Muzeeyi managed to give religious instructions to some children and catechumens. He had some assistants in the persons of Matthew Kirevu, Joseph Kaddu, Matthew Kisuule, Cyprian Kamya and others.

King Mwanga learnt of some Christians in hiding, Muzeeyi in particular. The king was bent on eliminating them so that he could stamp out Christianity in his kingdom but geting them out of hiding was his problem. He then tricked them when he falsely announced that he had forgiven all Christians and there was no longer any reason for their continued stay in hiding. Although Muzeeyi foresaw the king’s trick, he decided to come out of hiding and test King Mwanga’s sincerity. But then the moment he set his eyes on Muzeeyi, he ordered for the immediate slaughter of the martyr.

See more on Uganda Martyrs Wikipedia