The poor ‘Christ’ of Tooro and the ‘King’ of Zamunda

In the wake of the post election violence in Kasese, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) and The Elders Forum of Uganda (TEFU) toured the Rwenzori Region.
I am not a religious leader; neither does my fifty-plus age qualify me as an elder. I was just in the right place at the right time for the right cause; I was part of the TEFU and IRCU group that toured the Rwenzori Region.
I advised the delegation to request King Charles Wesley Mumbere to consider decommissioning his royal guards. Most members of the team feared Mumbere could perceive the request negatively. But Bishop Reuben Kisembo asked the question: ‘For the sake of confidence building, can you consider dropping the royal guards? This would deny the government the excuse of accusing you of commanding an armed militia…’
This seemed to have taken King Mumbere by surprise and there was a palpable sense of unease in the hall. I cleverly broke this silence by coughing loudly. Come to think of it, isn’t it probable that if King Mumbere had heeded Bishop Kisembo’s counsel, the 2016 palace incident would not have happened in the way it did.
So I was not surprised when I heard that the same bishop advised Mr Museveni to consider handing over power in 2021. Bishop Kisembo to Mr Museveni: “It is true the presidential age limit was removed from our Constitution; whatever justifications were made. But we appeal to you, Your Excellency to plan for a peaceful succession and transfer of power from you to another person; for your own good, for the good of your family, for the good of our nation and for the good of East Africa, Africa and the whole world. Don’t deny our country that opportunity.” And he asks: was that statement disrespectful, abusive or confrontational?
Church and State
In all its manifestations, the State has been promoted by politicians as the exclusive mandate of political power. Whenever this socio-cultural dynamic has been challenged, political power has sought refuge in assumed popular or divine endorsement. In its contemporary formation, political power over the State derives from the endorsement of the citizenry through popular elections and or referenda. However, civic processes such as elections and referenda do not give political power the exclusivity of leadership over the citizenry and her aspiration.
The concept of civil society (as a non-elective power centre) derives from the philosophy of the non-exclusivity of political power over the State. This farther feeds into the central philosophy of the power of the citizenry (nanti power belongs to the people). Consequently, the principal relationship between the State and the population is citizenship.
As a bona fide citizen of Uganda and a civil society leader, Bishop Kisembo qualifies to guide or advise (or even challenge) Mr Museveni on any matter of national importance.
Christ and King
The job of a Christian leader is vocational; not professional. His or hers is not a career but a voluntary offer of service and bon volonte (goodwill) to the benefit of the community.
In the meekness of Christ before the power of Imperial Rome and the firmness and clarity of message to change the hearts (or hat) of men and women, the Bible offers passages from which to draw the courage and knowledge to speak truth to power.
So, the King of Zamunda cannot hide in the reasoning that the message was delivered in the wrong forum and time because the Bible has armoured The Christ of Tooro thus: I was just fulfilling my religious role of sharing God’s word in season and out of season (2Timothy 4:1-5).

Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of East African Flagpost.