The Luganda Bible Project

How a book is made

This is a translation of the King James Bible into Luganda for the Buganda people. No book is the work of one man, and no book is counted finished until six men have handled it and agreed.

The books are taken in order, beginning at Genesis and working forward. That is deliberate. Terminology is built up as the work proceeds, so that a word settled in the law still reads the same way when it appears again in the prophets and in the Gospels.

1. 1

   Initial Translation

   Bro. Gross and Bro. Walugembe

   Two translators work through the book independently, each rendering the King James text into Luganda on his own. Neither man sees the other's work. Two complete translations of the same book come out of it.

2. 2

   Level 1 Review

   The same two translators, together

   The two men meet and compare their translations line by line. Where they differ, they talk it through until they agree. What comes out is one unified copy of the book.

3. 3

   Level 2 Review

   Pastor Paul and Pastor Ssebanja

   The unified copy goes to two Ugandan pastors. Pastor Paul is a native Luganda speaker who knows the King James Bible well. Pastor Ssebanja speaks Luganda only and has no acquaintance with the English Bible, and that is the point of asking him: he reads the new translation as any Luganda reader would, with nothing else to lean on, and his questions show whether it can be understood. Their notes go back to the translators, who meet again, weigh what was sent, and produce a Level 2 copy.

4. 4

   Level 3 Review

   Missionary Keith Stensaas and Missionary Marlin Petersen

   Two American missionaries, each with more than thirty years in Uganda, go through the Level 2 copy in depth. Their notes return to the translators the same way, and a Level 3 copy is made.

5. 5

   Final Review

   The four Ugandans together, with Missionary Keith Stensaas holding the deciding vote

   Until now the translators have carried most of the decisions themselves. In the final review that liberty ends. The two translators and the two pastors sit down with the Level 3 copy and read it through, and every choice must be explained and defended to the other three. Where they cannot agree, the matter is put to a vote; and because there are four voices, a tie is settled by Missionary Keith Stensaas. What comes out of that room is the finished book.

Field updates

• 2 October 2026

  John has passed the Level 1 review. All four Gospels now stand at Level 1, and Acts is taken up next.

• 11 September 2026

  Luke has passed the Level 1 review. Matthew, Mark and Luke now stand at Level 1, and John is taken up next.

• 10 August 2026

  Job has passed the Level 2 review. Every book from Genesis to Job now stands at Level 2 or beyond, and Psalms is next before the pastors.

• 3 August 2026

  The final review has resumed. This is the slowest part of the work and the most demanding: the book is read aloud one last time and compared to the English word for word.

• 5 June 2026

  With Malachi finished, every book from Genesis to Malachi has now passed Level 1. In February the team expected to reach this point in the last quarter of the year; they reached it in June.