Her “zikube bwe pwa” TikTok video may have gone viral in 2022, but Pastor Miriam Warugaba has been leading praise for 28 years.
Warugaba become a born-again Christian at a very young age and had her share of suffering which involved scavenging for food in dustbins and sleeping on a bare floor, all for daring to become a mulokole, but all that never tamed her love for God.
As she prepares for her upcoming Kwagala Katonda concert on August 25, she exclusively talked to The Observer.
Born in Kiwaala, Butambala, Warugaba comes from a family of staunch Catholics. She grew up in a very humble family and was not able to attain much of an education.
“I don’t remember exactly the name of the school I went to, but what I do remember is that the whole school had only three classes and it was only one teacher who taught all the classes and to make matters worse, we were taught in Luganda,” she said.
She later joined Butalunga primary school but given that she was used to being taught in Luganda, she did not understand what was taught.
“I would just see letters flying, because I was used to being taught in our local language,” she said with a smile.
Due to financial hardships, Warugaba had to drop out of school at a very young age and it was during that time that she gave her life to Jesus Christ after being witnessed to by her sister.
“I was such a fat girl and my mum had struggled to find a dress that would fit me for the Catholic confirmation ceremony; so, I told my sister I wasn’t leaving my hard-earned dress to become a born-again,” she said.
But after a nightmare in which evil spirits wanted to take over her life, she chose to give her life to Christ and has never looked back. However, the situation in the village was not easy. So, the girls left for Kampala.
“My sister and I got jobs as housemaids. She went to Luzira and I went to Nalukolongo,” she said.
Warugaba changed households regularly, due to poor payment.
“I worked in places such as Nateete, Nalukolongo, Busega and other places but the highest amount of money I was paid was Shs 5,000.”
After failing at their jobs, the two sisters started to live with their other sister in a single room in Nalukolongo, which had been given to her by their paternal aunt. But their sister, a staunch Catholic, had not approved of their getting saved and made them pass through hell for that.
Warugaba’s mattress was taken away and the option left was to sleep on the bare floor. Luckily, she had bought a towel during her days as a housemaid, which she turned into her ‘mattress’.
As if that was not enough, the sister stopped giving her food unless she denounced her newfound faith. The sister used to work in a restaurant and always brought delicious food home, but would give it all to the neighbours, leaving her sisters to sleep on empty stomachs.
“I would move around looking for food from dustbins. People had habits of defecating in polythene bags and throw them in rubbish pits; so, at times you would open the bag and find human faeces instead of food,” she said.
But her faith remained unshaken.
“I would tell myself, perhaps God did not want me to eat today as well,” she said.
HOW SHE BEGAN SINGING
Back home, the entire family used to sing in the church choir, but Warugaba had never been given a leading role. Her musical journey started when she joined Mutundwe Christian fellowship in 1996.
She loved it from the moment she joined as the gospel was all about righteousness and entering the kingdom of God. In the church choir, there was a lady who used to lead but had anger issues and mood swings; whenever she was chastised, the lady would not minister.
On one such occasion, the pastor told Warugaba to take the lead. It was nerve-racking; Warugaba had one dress and bra that she wore every single day and that day the bra had got burnt after trying to dry it on a strove. Besides, she was so fat and people used to call her all sorts of names.
For a long time she could not sing a single note. But she closed her eyes and started singing and the Holy Spirit took over and every one was touched by her voice.
“I always tell people that I’m a testament of God’s great work because back then I was so shapeless and when I would smile, people would think I was crying.”
Another time the pastor was preaching and Warugaba was in the congregation. The pastor told her that the Lord had chosen her be to be a minister in the church. When the choir leader left, she took on the role which she has been doing for the last 28 years, ministering at Mutudwe Christian Fellowship, other places in Uganda and abroad.
ENGLISH CHALLENGES
There was a time in 2007 when Warugaba was asked to step down from singing, owing to the fact that she could not sing in English.
“There came a pastor who claimed that the church had become international, so, I was stopped from singing because I was doing it in Luganda,” she said.
She stepped down for a new leader, but kept coming to church every day. It was during that time that she got a long dream in which God was telling her He would give her what the English speakers could never have.
“He gave me a scripture in Psalms 22:2 and said whenever I worship, He would come down just like in the scripture. In the dream, I saw people getting healed as the Holy Spirit moved.”
This motivated her and since that time, she has never looked back from the assignment God gave her. I made a covenant with God that the only time I would not sing was when I am in the theater giving birth; otherwise, even if I am terribly sick with a cannula, I always show up,” she said.
BECOMING A RECORDING ARTIST
The bubbly, humorous Warugaba became the face of worship at Mutun- dwe, and in 2019, she took another step and started composing songs.
Her first song Gy’onzigye Nga Wala is a reflection of her life’s story. She now has about 30 songs including Abadde Yesu, Oli Mutukuvu, and Ndi Mwana, among others. Talking about her upcoming concert, she said it is the third phase of the Kwagala Katonda concert at Kitebi primary school grounds.
She said the motivation behind Kwagala Katonda concert is the revelation she got that God can do everything apart from worshiping and praising Himself.
“We are in a period where we don’t allocate enough time to praise and worship God, yet it’s the only thing He can’t do for Himself,” she said.
The concert is free, but well-wishers can contribute to support God’s work.
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