Government to ban fund-raising in church

Tormenting. Youth and Children minister says fund-raising at places of worship has made believers flee because of ‘discomfort’.

The government is in the process of banning fund-raising in places of worship, and instead incorporate financial requirements of registered churches and mosques in the national budgeting process.
The Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Mr Ronald Kibuule, disclosed the development at a fund-raising function for Kaniklwa Village chapel in Nakanyonyi Parish, Bukoba Archdeaconry in Mukono.
“People have left churches and mosques because of the unending fund-raisings, which directly means that the work to rehabilitate and mould people’s morals has been jeopardised,” Mr Kibuule, also Mukono North MP, said.

President’s nod
He said President Museveni supported the new arrangement, and had asked managers of gazetted places of worship to be registered so as to be considered for financial support of their programmes.

The minister re-echoed his traditional anti-homosexuality stand, regretting that homosexuality, lesbianism and same-sex marriages started in churches, and appealed to the clergy to take a strong stand against the vice.

The lay reader, Mr Mesusera Ssettimba, appealed to the minister to lobby more funds, including from Parliament, adding, “we have nobody else to load this burden because you are our parliamentarian and the only minister in the district”.

Construction work at the chapel estimated at Shs25m stalled in 2002 when believers failed to raise the money. Mr Kibuule has pledged to rejuvenate the project with a donation of 20 iron sheets and to lobby for contributors.

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