For his stance Senyonjo has received several honours including the Clinton Global Citizen Award, and has been invited to participate in documentaries and international speaking tours.
According to a biography in The Observer of Uganda, Senyonjo was born to Maria Mukulu Abul'awawe and Erika Kapere on December 8, 1931, and was raised in the Mubende district (now Kiboga) of Singo sub-county.
An anecdote describes him walking 16 km to Nalukolongo for a kilogram of meat, which Miriam craved during her pregnancy, when the local trading centre did not have any.
On holidays he sold pancakes for his aunt, leading to him being jailed for a night at the age of 13 by an officer who thought he must have stolen money from a locked donation box.
After consulting with his mother and his best friend, Hannington Kintu, he stated he had a dream of a candle that could not be extinguished, which he took as an affirmation of his calling to religious service.
[3] In 1973 he worked with a group of Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist and Anglican priests to jointly translate the Bible into "modern Luganda".
[3][6] In 1983 Senyonjo received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Theological Seminary, which provided key background for understanding issues of marriage and sexuality.
He founded a community centre as a safe place for Ugandan gays, and worked to provide housing and employment for those denied them after being outed.
Senyonjo described the interaction of conference participants with government officials as leading to the introduction of the bill, and the need for education regarding claims of homosexual recruitment in schools.
He said that it was inhumane, violated the UN Declaration of Human Rights and "the sacred bonds of the Ugandan extended family", would make Uganda a police state, and increase the spread of HIV as people would be afraid to seek treatment.
SPREC's programs include healthcare, chapel and counselling, psycho-social support and hospitality, entrepreneurship development (micro-loans), women's empowerment, and human rights advocacy and education.
[17] In February 2011, Senyonjo responded to the murder of David Kato with an open letter to Archbishop Rowan Williams and the Anglican Communion, calling on the church to speak out against the persecution of gays.
[19][20] In September 2011, Senyonjo came to the United States again on a tour called "Compass for Compassion", speaking at locations including the All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.[13] In March 2014, at the age of 82, Senyonjo continued to minister to congregants in a makeshift church the size of a small office in Kampala, though their numbers were reduced to a handful, possibly due to intimidation.
[5] Services are held every Sunday, where the congregation sings "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", but elements popular in other Ugandan churches such as praise shouts, speaking in tongues, and Bible thumping are omitted.
[24][25] On July 17, 2018, the University of Leeds awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, for his outstanding work as clergyman and LGBT human rights defender in Uganda.
[1] California Senate Resolution 51, which called for greater scrutiny of the use of Section 501(c)(3) charitable status to lobby for discriminatory policies in other countries, noted Senyonjo "has been touring California, the United States, and Europe to educate and bring attention to the draconian impact of a recent wave of religious-based homophobia in Uganda", resolving in part that "the Senate commends the work and ministry of Right Reverend Christopher Senyonjo in his attempts to create an inclusive church and society in Uganda that is free from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
[8][32] The day after the passage of the anti-gay law in 2014, Senyonjo was included by the Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper among a widely publicized list of names and photos of "200 Top Homos", as an alleged gay "sympathizer".