The Bwisi of Uganda

The Bwisi of Uganda, numbering approximately 160,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an indigenous Bantu people of western Uganda centered in Bundibugyo District along the Rwenzori foothills and the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Talinga-Bwisi is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bwisi

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Uganda
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Lakes
Primary Language(s): Talinga-Bwisi (tlj)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 160,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG015077
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bwisi of Uganda

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

73%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Talinga-Bwisi
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Talinga-Bwisi Speakers

Media Resources in Talinga-Bwisi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Talinga-Bwisi:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2015 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Talinga-Bwisi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Bwisi are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Bwisi:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Bwisi of Uganda

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
readJames 2:5

Pray for those living in despair to experience the riches of God's love and the hope of eternal life through faith in Christ.

...I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
readPsalm 13:5

Ask God to bring many to trust in His unfailing love and cause their hearts to rejoice in His salvation.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
readRomans 10:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be eager to proclaim the good news of peace, knowing that the Lord has called them to this task.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
readEphesians 6:13

Pray that God will send believers to the lost of this people group and that, as they share the gospel, they will take up the whole armor of God so that they can stand firm when trials come.

Bwisi Across Countries (ROP3 - 101829) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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