Ugandan photojournalist Nicholas Ssuna Bamulanzeki, whose images have won awards and appeared in the country’s leading publications, married his longtime partner, Brenda Matama, in a ceremony that blended church tradition with a splash of Kampala glamour.
The couple, together for more than 15 years, exchanged vows Thursday afternoon at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe — the oldest cathedral in Uganda and a landmark for the Anglican Church.
Bamulanzeki, 37, marked the day by posting photographs from the service to his 15,780 followers on X, formerly Twitter. The post carried a simple caption: “14.08.2025.”
The ceremony was led by Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, the ninth head of the Church of Uganda and bishop of Kampala. He praised the couple for making “a bold step” and encouraged them to “lead with good communication” in their marriage.
After the service, guests made their way to Malibu Gardens in Mengo, a Kampala neighborhood, for a reception attended by family, close friends and colleagues from the media, politics and social circles.
Bamulanzeki works for The Observer, a Ugandan newspaper known for its political coverage and investigative reporting. He traces his passion for photography to years before his formal training at Makerere University, where he studied mass communication and specialized in photojournalism.
“Before I joined university, I used to look at journalists as people who are high up there,” he said in a 2018 interview with the Ugandan outlet SoftPower. “I used to hold them in high regard. I couldn’t be a doctor because I was doing arts. So, I looked to my choices and said ‘Let me be a journalist.’”
He found inspiration in the work of Pete Souza, the former chief White House photographer under President Barack Obama. “Every time I looked at his photos, they were telling,” Bamulanzeki said. “I said to myself, ‘I want to be like him.’”
Bamulanzeki joined The Observer in 2014, thanks to a tip from colleague Racheal Ninsiima. “She knew that I needed to practice. When an opportunity availed itself, she called me and that’s how I got there,” he said. Before that, he built his career in commercial photography, covering weddings and private events.
