Msgr Magembe: Charismatic priest who composed 800 hymns

________________

A couple of months ago, several social media platforms carried news of the death of Msgr Expedito Magembe. But soon after, sources from Kampala Archdiocese refuted the news. But on Friday, Magembe passed on.

The popular Catholic clerical exorcist, charismatic preacher and supernatural healer died at Nsambya Hospital in Kampala city on Friday, May 9, 2025.

“Our dear Msgr Expedito Magembe has returned to the Father. Surely, we are going to miss him immensely.  He was a zealous preacher of the gospel. He loved the Church with all his heart. He has devoted all his life and energy to serving God’s people. He has used well the Charismatic gifts god gave him. Many people have found consolation, healing and deliverance in his ministry. We thank him with even greater gratitude for founding Mount Sion Prayer Centre Bukalango and the religious institute of the Brides of the Lamb. We also thank him for composing many hymns for the Church. The Archbishop of Kampala, the Most Rev Paul Ssemogerere sends condolences to the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill in Uganda,” Fr Male said with noticeable sadness.

Wonders of Magembe

Magembe has several other astonishing attributes, which surprisingly, have remained alien to nanny people. One of them is his extraordinary journey to the Catholic priesthood.

Magembe did not start his priestly journey at preparatory/minor seminary. So, how did he join?

Well, Magembe desired to become a priest right from his childhood, but his late parents, Kosima Baziwe and Sefoloza Nakimera were people of modest means. So, when Magembe completed Junior Two, his father failed to raise enough money to take him to the seminary.

Alternatively, he took him to the formation House of the Catholic Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga (locally referred to as Bannakarooli Brothers) at Kiteredde in Rakai district), to train as a religious brother.

Magembe went through all the respective religious formation stages (postulancy, novitiate) from 1957 until 1960 when he took the religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, which qualified him as a professed member of the Catholic religious’ institute of the Bannakarooli Brothers.

After becoming a religious Brother, Magembe’s superiors at the congregation sent him to Busuubizi Teacher Training College where he studied and graduated as a grade two teacher.

He subsequently taught at Busuubizi Primary School (in Mityana district) and Nandere Primary School (in Luweero).

He later joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi.  When an opportunity arose for him, in 1968, he joined the Grand National Major Seminary of Katigondo where he did philosophy.

He says it is at Katigondo that he started composing Church hymns. In 1971, he joined St. Mary’s National Seminary Ggaba, where he did dogmatic theology.

Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga (RIP) ordained him a deacon at Rubaga Cathedral on December 10, 1972. A year later, on December 7, 1973, the same Prelate ordained him a priest at Kasaala Catholic Parish Church in Luweero district.

Magembe said his health was not very good when he was still a young seminarian. Actually, on the day of his ordination, he was shivering with fever.

He would have desired to postpone the function, but he feared the reaction of Archbishop Emmanuel Nsubuga, whom he says was a no-nonsense prelate.

He says he went to the nurses, received some injections and then wore his alba, cincture and stole and went for his ordination.

Magembe also remembers how he narrowly survived dismissal at Ggaba National Seminary because of his ill health. God just saved him through some two nuns who were working at the seminary.

The nuns heard the Rector and another priest discussing Magembe’s ill health and actually pondering to dismiss him. The Rector said: “That little young man is brilliant and God fearing but his health is very poor. He cannot manage.”

When the nuns went back to their house, they came up with a plan to rescue Magembe.

They decided that they prepare for him some milk every day. After supper, they would order Magembe to take some things from the dining room to the kitchen and there he would find his milk and drink it. Taking milk every day helped to improve Magembe’s health and he was never dismissed.

Great musician

Magembe composed over 800 hymns and charismatic choruses. He is one of the Ugandans who pioneered the writing of indigenous sacred hymns after the Vatican Council II gave the green light to the use of local languages and local music during Catholic worship.

However, being a product of the White Fathers, some of Magembe's songs also reflect the influence of the Gregorian classics.

Here are some of Magembe's most prominent hymns.

• Lugendo lunene (it is a long and tough journey): A contemplative song in a slow country-walk movement that helps the listener/worshipper to reflect on the mystery of deaths, and the need for the Christian to have total faith and trust in God and His son Jesus Christ, who defeated death.
• Bw'omwewa Omukama: A song about ecclesial vocations (ministerial priesthood, consecrated religious life, marriage, etc). The message of the song is; vocations calls for self-sacrifice. In any case, if you serve God with total faith and commitment, you will be assured of a big reward.
• Tetulabanga (we have neither seen nor known): The song projects the heavenly image, whose beauty surpasses every earthly beauty and pleasure.
• 'Ggwe nnyaffe ' (you are our mother), a Marian hymn.

Other voices

Rev Fr Anthony Musaala, who modernised some of Magembe's songs, including 'Tuli Mulugendo' (we are on a journey) refers to the hymns as "contemplative and spiritually uplifting'".

The Director of Cherubim Choir, Jude Luwaga also marveled at Magembe's hymns.

"His songs have authentic Biblical roots. He had that skill of wrapping Jesus’ parables with music, as we see in the song 'Obwakabaka Obw'omuggulu' (the kingdom of God is like). Magembe also composed many charismatic choruses, some of which are  even used by the Pentecostals.