Joseph Bwitirire Katatumba I was born in 1914 at Bwenkoma village, not far from Mbarara town. As a boy he helped tend his father’s cattle, growing up steeped in the pastoral traditions of his people.

In 1922 he joined the catechumenate and, on its completion, was baptized and given the name Joseph. He began primary school five years later at Eve Elementary School in Nyamitanga, then went on to Central School in Rushoroza-Kabale, South Kigezi — one of the finest schools in the region at the time, drawing students from across Western Uganda. Though older than his classmates, he became something of a mentor to them: intelligent, a skilled peacemaker, excellent in English, and captain of the school football team.