Christians seek to break away from Ankole Diocese

NTUNGAMO.

On Christmas Day, some Anglican faithful in Itojo Sub-county, Ntungamo District, staged a protest seeking to join South Ankole Diocese.
The protesters said they have been craving to join South Ankole Diocese, which was carved out of Ankole and West Ankole dioceses in 2012, but they have not been granted their wish. Itojo Archdeaconry has four parishes comprising 20 churches and about 25,000 Christians.
The protesting Christians carried placards bearing posters of Ankole Diocese Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa reading: “…you are a shepherd, not a ruler of the flock. Avoid temptation, Jesus overcame it.”
They say they want to join South Ankole Diocese, which is in Ntungamo District where they live.
“It is 10km from here to Kyamate [South Ankole Diocese seat]; it is 68km to Ruharo [Ankole Diocese seat in Mbarara District]. If I want to see the bishop or have services from the diocese, I have to travel to Mbarara yet there is a diocese so close to me and in the district where we live. That’s the reason we want to move,” said Mr David Ndyabahika, the head of laity at Ruhanga Church of Uganda in Ntungamo.
However, Bishop Mwesigwa dismissed their reasons as political schemes engineered by failed selfish politicians.
He said the Church of Uganda constitution does not carve dioceses according to political boundaries.
“If this is done, it may set a dangerous precedent,” he said.
He also lashed out at the claim about the distance to the two dioceses. “This reasoning is faulty since at any one time there will be parishes that are at the periphery of a given diocese,” Bishop Mwesigwa said.
He also said not all the Christians in the archdeaconry want to join South Ankole Diocese as is being portrayed. He said it’s only a faction of Christians from two of the four parishes in the archdeaconry who are agitating to break away.
Ms Peace Musiime, the chairperson of NRM district women’s league, said the Christians want to leave because they are missing many opportunities in South Ankole Diocese such as education and water projects and assistance for needy children.
However, Bishop Mwesigwa described the allegations as mere political maneuvres motivated by selfish interests.
“To say that Itojo area has not benefited from good service delivery of Ankole Diocese is faulty. In fact our diocese has very transparent policies in human resource and finances, and has registered significant successes in education quality and church scholarships even in universal education schools, health service, assistance of orphans through eight projects that are worth billions of shillings, diocesan income projects, economic empowerment etc,” Bishop Mwesigwa said.
Mr Myres Tumusiime Katahwa, the head of laity for the archdeaconry, said the Christians petitioned Ankole Diocese, the provincial assembly and Church of Uganda Archbishop Stanley Ntagali but their grievances have never been addressed.

The response
However, Bishop Mwesigwa said the archbishop responded to the Christians’ petition by advising them to listen to the bishop and Synod of Ankole Diocese but that they refused.
South Ankole Diocese Bishop Nathan Ahimbisibwe said the Christians have genuine concerns but called for patience.
“The issues of Christians in Itojo have even reached the province. I think they will come but may be they think they have been delayed. I think next year they will come but they have to be more patient,” Bishop Ahimbisibwe said on Tuesday.
A senior church leader in Ankole Diocese, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is Bishop Mwesigwa who initiated the process of giving away Itojo to South Ankole Diocese by making it an archdeaconry. The church leader argued that Bishop Mwesigwa, therefore, cannot be against the archdeaconry joining South Ankole.