By Spy Uganda 
In the annals of Uganda’s Catholic history, there are priests, there are catechists, and there are devout believers.
Then there was Fr. Kakyomya Isidore Araali, an uncle to Spy Uganda CEO and Pan African Pyramid Founding Speaker and Chairman,Andrew Irumba Katusabe
A man whose life did not merely pass through the Church — it revolved entirely around it, challenged it, and in the end, completed a rare spiritual circle that few in the world can claim.
Born on November 27, 1947, in Kyamugenyi Village, Kyarusozi Town Council, Kyenjojo District, Kakyomya was raised by deeply devout Catholic parents, Alkanjeru Rwakaikara and Zulita Zerezire, whose lives revolved around service to the Church and community. His childhood, education, and spiritual formation were all anchored in Catholic doctrine from the very beginning.
He received First Holy Communion in 1959 at Butiiti Catholic Parish and was confirmed in 1962 by Bishop Vincent McCauley — sacraments that cemented what would become a lifelong bond with the Church.
His path to priesthood began early. From Kyarusozi Primary School to St. Michael Secondary School and eventually St. Mary’s Minor Seminary in Fort Portal, his destiny was steadily aligned to the altar.
On November 28, 1976, Kakyomya was ordained a Catholic priest in the Fort Portal Diocese.
For ten years, he served faithfully. Then came a decision that shook the very structure that had shaped him.
The Resignation That Shook The Church
In 1986, Fr. Kakyomya made the unthinkable decision to resign from priesthood. But the Archbishop of Uganda at the time refused to accept his resignation.
What followed is a story rarely told in Catholic circles.
Determined and guided by conscience, Kakyomya travelled to Rome, Italy. There, he personally delivered his resignation to the Pope at the Vatican! The Pope not only received him—he listened, prayed for him, formally relieved him of priestly duties, and made a direct call back to Uganda instructing the Archbishop to accept the resignation, bless him, and embrace him as a truthful man of God.
It was an extraordinary ecclesiastical intervention that validated Kakyomya’s decision at the highest level of the Catholic Church.
A Return To The Church — As A Groom
Ten years after leaving priesthood, Kakyomya returned to the very same Catholic Church — not in a cassock, but in a wedding suit.
On December 7, 1996, at Virika Cathedral Fort Portal, he officially married Teddy Kakyomya Kanakuze, a devout Catholic from Rwanda. This single event quietly made him a theological rarity.
Kakyomya had now received all Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church: Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick within his lifetime.
A journey from altar to aisle, sanctioned from Rome itself.
Family, Fatherhood, And A New Ministry
Together with his wife Teddy, he raised 7 beautiful children in a home deeply rooted in Catholic values:
Kakyomya Gonzaga Araali (works with URA), Kakyomya Tom Jack Amooti (works with NBS Television), Kakyomya Charles Araali (studying medicine),Kakyomya Christopher Araali, Araali Robert, Tukamushaba Byaruhanga Christopher and Jackie Kakyomya (Lawyer)
Even outside priesthood, Kakyomya never left service. He became a moral pillar, counselor, and catechist, guiding young families and believers with the rare experience of having lived both priesthood and marriage.
Death Of A Rare Catholic Figure
Kakyomya Isidore Araali passed away on February Wednesday 4, 2026 at Kampala Hospital, around 7:30am over prostate cancer.
A requiem mass will be held at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church Ntinda on Thursday, February 5 from 9:30am.
Another requiem mass will be held at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, Kyenjojo, Kyarusozi on Friday, February 6.
The body will leave Kampala tomorrow Thursday after the service will pass by Kyenjojo District council office where he has been a member for the comrades to pay their last respects and then proceed to Kyarusozi, their ancestral home.
Burial will take place at his ancestral home in Kyenjojo District, Kyarusozi on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Fr. Kakyomya’s life is one the Church may struggle to categorise.
He was a priest.
He was a husband.
He was a father.
He was a catechist.
He was a man Rome itself intervened for.
In the end, Kakyomya did not abandon the Church.
He simply lived every sacrament it offers.
May His Soul Rest In Eternal Peace. 🙏🙏
