By Nicholas Akasula
Sarah Tusubira was born 41 years ago in Lugazi–Kawolo. Her mother is still alive, though her father passed away in 2005 during her Senior Six vacation.
Education was unusual in Tusubira’s background. “As I waited to go to an institution or university, I was just hoping to read my head off because I knew that if I didn’t get government sponsorship, I would never study. I knew no one in the whole clan who had gone to university. Actually, my degree is the first one in the clan,” she narrates.
Growing up
Tusubira believes her parents separated when she was about two and a half years old.
“I am the last born of six. But I vividly remember a sister of mine called Winfred. She was epileptic. They tried every hospital to help her, but she was not cured. My dad loved her so much and was then working in the sugar corporation, and he took leave.
“Unfortunately, when people do not know the Word of God, the next thing they often say is, ‘let’s run to the jajjas or to the demons’. I think that is where the whole mess of idolatry in our family started,” she recalls.
Winfred later died in 1995.
Witchcraft
According to Tusubira, the family’s troubles deepened when her father turned to witchcraft.
“After my father was dismissed from his first job in the sugar corporation, he stayed almost four years without work. When he later got another job, his work became his god. He did everything to stay there. He began inviting witchdoctors into our home for long rituals, yet the more they came, the worse things became.
“He was earning money, but we never saw it. By the time he died, he was a manager, but you could not tell I was a manager’s child, even at school.
“In our clan, I believe covenants were made that opened doors to death. Every March we would lose someone, mostly through accidents. My father himself died on March 5.
“But when we turned to Jesus, we learned to pray because of the suffering we had seen. By Primary Five I had already started fasting. When I got born again, my father even refused to pay my school fees,” she says.
Tusubira recalls discovering a room in their house that her father never opened.
“That is why I am deeply involved in evangelism. When I speak against witchcraft, I know what I am talking about. When I preach or sing, I remember where Christ brought me from,” she says.
Poverty
Alongside the spiritual struggles was deep poverty. Food was often scarce at home.
“There was no food. I stayed hungry and even developed ulcers. God healed me in 2018, but for years they were very bad. I think the hunger became serious around Primary Five. Mum would go to dig in the gardens and leave you at home. You return from school and fend for yourself, looking for yams, jackfruit or even leftover sugarcane,” she says.
One evening remains vivid in her memory. Tired and hungry, she climbed their jackfruit tree after sensing what she describes as divine prompting.
“I had fasted and had no energy. But I felt strongly that if I knocked the fruits, I would find one ready. They were still young, but somehow one was ripe. I ate it with so much joy,” she recalls.
Marriage
Tusubira met her husband, Pastor Samuel Tusubira, while she was at campus. He frequently visited Makerere University for fellowships and evangelism. Today, the two lead Kingdom Power Church in Bunamwaya.
They later reconnected.
“A friend told me Pastor Sam was around. I greeted him and left. In 2008, when he launched the ministry and was looking for people to help him, I joined because I was searching for a mentor,” she says.
She adds that she was determined not to “lose the fire” after university.
The couple have three children: Emmanuel (13), Divine Grace (11) and Samuel (9). Divine Grace’s birth, she says, was remarkable after doctors had warned she might need an operation because of the baby’s position and her fibroids.
“I kept believing God and reciting scriptures. When I reached the hospital, the doctor checked and found the baby had turned. I delivered that very night,” she says.
Ministry and music
The ministry began in Lubowa before eventually settling in Bunamwaya.
“When we arrived here, it was a valley and largely bush. We kept bringing murram and filling the ground. Even the road improved because of the church,” she explains.
Tusubira says they initially encountered strong spiritual resistance in the area, including shrines near River Mayanja, though many have since been removed through joint church efforts.
Beyond ministry, she is also a worshipper behind the song Osululumye.
“The journey of composing started in 2008. I have about 60 songs, though only two are recorded. I began recording in 2017,” she says.
She recalls that Osukulumye was inspired during a visit to Rwanda.
“I saw how clean the city was and wondered, if Rwanda looks like this, what about heaven?” she reflects.
Her husband has also recorded more than 10 songs, including Webale. Together, they have produced two albums.
