Gideon Byamugisha

Who is Gideon Byamugisha?

Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha is an Anglican priest in Uganda with a parish outside of Kampala. In 1992, he became the first religious leader in Africa to publicly announce that he was HIV positive. In 2009, Byamugisha received the 26th annual Niwano Peace Prize "in recognition of his work to uphold the dignity and human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS".

Byamugisha co-founded the African Network of Religious Leaders Living with and Personally Affected HIV and Aids in February 2002, and in 2006 started a shelter for orphans of AIDS victims. He lives with his wife and three HIV negative children.