Museveni tells clergy to fight crime through evangelism
President Yoweri Museveni has urged Church leaders to emulate the first evangelists who preached the gospel to the people and they got saved.
He said: “When people get saved, it helps the government because crimes will reduce”.
This was contained in a message delivered for the President by Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda during the burial of late Rev. Can. Geresomu Ruhindi. Ruhindi was father-in-law to former prime minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi.
Ruhindi was buried on Saturday at his ancestral home in Nyakisoroza, Nyakishenyi Sub County in Rukungiri district.
Mr Museveni said in the message that the late Rev. Can Geresomu Ruhindi has left behind a legacy the general public should emulate for all he has done as a person on earth.
“Late Ruhindi was not only an evangelist but also a teacher who taught communities on poverty eradication, health and encouraged them to educate their children,” the President said.
Mr Museveni offered Shs10m to help in the burial expenses.
On his behalf, Dr Rugunda said it was okay to celebrate the life of late Ruhinda rather than mourning him as he died due to old age.
“I was very happy to find the whole church singing and praising without mourning because Ruhindi has done it all and it was the time for him to retire completely,” he said.
Former prime minister Mbabazi said Ruhindi treated them as their own sons when they married his daughters and taught both them and his children to work hard saying they are all hard working people and God fearing just as their late father in law.
The late Ruhindi served the government, church and general community in different capacities as teacher, priest, court assessor and as senior citizen.
Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the state minister for housing and urban development, urged the church to put a project and name it after the late Ruhindi in honour of his works of developing the church and the evangelism he spread in the whole of Kigezi.
Baryomunsi said Ruhindi served in Kinkiizi, Kabale and Rukungiri as both teacher and priest adding that he used to unite all the people regardless of their tribe or religion.
Hope Mwesigye said his father passed on Thursday Morning at the age of 102 years due to old age.
The former agriculture minister, added that his father had 11 children and of the eleven children 10 were girls, however two including a boy have since died leaving behind 9 children, a widow, 43 grandchildren and 50 great grand children and two great-great grand children.
Retired bishops of Kinkiizi and Kabale diocese, Rt. Rev. Emeritus John Wilson Ntegyerize and George Katwesigye led the service as all sitting bishops were in Israel for a retreat.
