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

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
readMark 10:15

Pray for those who might be trapped in pride, that God will humble them and give them a childlike faith and complete dependence on Him through faith in Christ.

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
readPsalm 96:9

Pray that many who do not yet know Jesus will come to know Him and worship Him in the splendor of His holiness.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot... indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
readPsalm 16:5-6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face hardship, they will remember that God is their portion and cup and that He has a beautiful inheritance for them.

And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
readMatthew 25:40

Ask God to raise up and send believers who will serve "the least of these" with compassion and energy because they know that in serving those in need, they are serving Christ.

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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