At 130 years, Lucy Kahubire has witnessed two World Wars, arrest of Kabaka Mwanga

Last Sunday, March 26, Lucy Kahubire Adyeeri celebrated her 130th birthday with a colourful thanksgiving ceremony at Rwegoma Christian Fellowship Church which sits right in her compound in Rwegoma village, Fort Portal city.  

Kahubiire was born on March 26, 1893, to the late Daudi Kabairu and Rebecca Tibareka in Kyaburungi village in Bwanika parish, Burahya sub-county, which was part of Tooro county at the time. Nowadays, Bwanika parish is in Kichwamba sub-county, Kabarole district. She was the sixth of eight children in the family, all of whom have since passed away.   

At 130 years, Kahubire has witnessed significant historical events like the signing of the 1900 Buganda Agreement, the construction of the Uganda Railway (1896), World War I (1914), World War II (1939), colonial rule, and Uganda’s attainment of independence (1962), among others.

Kahubire was born during the reign of Omukama Kabalega, and she vividly remembers when Kabalega and Kabaka Mwanga were arrested in 1899. At the time, she was just six years old, and she recalls how the subjects were happy and jubilant at the arrest of the Omukama because they believed he was a dictator and that Europeans had saved them from his harsh rule.

In her youth, she got married to Yafesi Rujumba but could not conceive because she was barren. After the death of her husband, she left their matrimonial home and went back to her parents. Violet Nyakairu, 72, a granddaughter of Kahubiire, told URN that they were able to confirm her great-aunt’s age through a family book that contained documents like baptism cards, birth certificates, and other records. 

However, after her aunt died, they were unable to locate the book. Nyakairu said that during her childhood, Kahubire was a God-fearing person who never missed going to church on Sundays. Her passion for the church was instilled by the Christian missionaries who taught her how to read the Bible and write her name. 

After learning how to read the Bible, Kahubire later became a catechist in the Anglican Church, a position she held until 1982 when she joined the born-again faith. Nyakairu described her grandmother’s long life as an unusual miracle.    

Rodgers Isingoma, a member at Kabarole Christian Fellowship Church where Kahubire is a member, said that she joined the born-again faith at the age of 90 after being bitten by a snake. 

“She was bitten by a snake and came to our lead Pastor KL Dickson who prayed for her and she got healed. After the healing she refused to go back to the Anglican Church where she was a catechist and became born again,” he added.   

Isingoma described Kahubire as a strong believer who loves Jesus. Topista Kabagenyi, who takes care of the elderly woman, said that Kahubiire is a kind person who is always cheerful.

Kabagenyi, who has been taking care of her for the past ten years, added that Kahubire is still strong at her age because she has no chronic diseases and can still see clearly, hear, and speak. Kahubiire’s favourite foods include Irish potatoes, bananas, groundnuts, millet bread, and beef. However, her food is always mashed and mixed with soup before being spoon-fed. 

At the thanksgiving ceremony, Kahubire expressed gratitude to God for the gift of long life. Officially, the oldest living person is María Branyas Morera a US-born Spainish who is 115 years old according to the Guinness Book of Records.