Amuru MPs trade insults in church

Amuru- There was drama at All Saints Church-Olwal in Lamogi Sub-county, Amuru District on Sunday after two area Members of Parliament engaged in verbal exchanges before hundreds of worshipers during church service.

Mr Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South Member of Parliament and Mr William Wilson Nokrach, the legislator representing people with disability in northern Uganda, reportedly had a 30-minute argument, accusing each other of interfering with their political projects.

The two legislators had attended church graced by the northern Uganda Diocese, Bishop Rev Johnson Gakumba, who was installing the Rev Peter Oyat as the new Overseer of the church.

The church built with financial support from Mr Nokrach was commissioned by President Museveni in May last year.

Sermon misinterpreted
All was well during the service led by the outgoing Overseer, the Rev James Lukiro, until his sermon was misinterpreted by one of the legislators.

According to sources who attended service, the Rev Lukiro in his sermon told Rev Gakumba and the congregation that an evil spirit had invaded the church in form of a tortoise adding that for long it had been haunting children in the area.

He is said to have alleged that some of the children possessed by the evil spirit after being prayed for revealed that the person who built the church brought them [evil spirits].

Rev Lukiro is said to have also accused Mr Nokrach of having too much influence and authority over church activities and All Saints Nursery and Primary School, which he contributed money for building, leaving the diocese with less power.

However, after the service, when Mr Olanya was given an opportunity to greet the believers, he instead accused Mr Nokrach of blocking his donation of 70 school uniforms which he had bought for pupils at the nursery school headed by the church.

His accusations, however, also did not go well with Mr Nokrach who rose up and counter accused Mr Olanya of swindling Shs1m handed to him by the former Gulu Municipality MP Christopher Acire to help him [Mr Nokrach] build another church in the district.

It is reported that Mr Olanya sprung up from his seat and jolted towards Nokrach while telling him to talk to Mr Acire on phone and get clarity whether the said money was handed to him.

Mr James Onen, a resident of Olwal Trading Centre and witness, told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview on Monday that Mr Nokrach later shoved Mr Olanya with his crutch before Bishop Gakumba intervened.

“The situation was very ugly, we couldn’t believe that our leaders could fight in church and before their electorates,” he said.

Mr Olanya said he had no ill motive but was only trying to give an explanation on his allegations.

“I didn’t fight as it is alleged, we had verbal argument and Nokrach over reacted,” he said.

Mr Nokrach, however, said his colleague incited the Church Overseer to attack him and while delivering his message, he [Nokrach] never intervened or interrupted him.

“When I rose up to also speak to counter his allegation, Olanya approached me and wanted to grab the microphone from me. I was almost falling down given my status so in self-defence, I pushed him away with my crutch,” he said.

Speaking to Daily Monitor in an interview, Rev Gakumba said the verbal exchanges between the two legislators was brought about by their political differences.

Bishop Gakumba said he will hold a dialogue with the two leaders to ensure they do not repeat what happened and learn to live in harmony.

He, however, said from the incident, the church will ban any leader from speaking in church since some of them use it as an opportunity to declare their political ambition given the fact that election period is nearing.
Bishop Gakumba accused the Rev Lukiro of incitement.

Although this newspaper cannot authoritatively confirm, speculation is rife that Mr Nokrach intends to contest the Kilak South Constituency seat, something that has kept the two leaders at loggerheads.

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