Software engineer turned preacher

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DEVOUT. He recently celebrated three years of ministry at Kampala Parent’s School basketball court, Brian Kagyezi believes serving God is his mandate as he tells Lawrence Ogwal.

When I walk into Prophet Brian Kagyezi’s office in Kyanja, at a few minutes past 11am, he looks anxious. With his sunglasses on and a fitting suit, he offers me a seat.
“What is your name again?” he asks. In introduce myself, Kagyezi tells me he has an uncle called Apollo at Monitor Publications who paid his school fees up to university. “He is in production department,” I reply.

Before kicking off the interview, he asks if it is okay for two pastors and his personal assistant to join us. I oblige. They sit but keep scribbling in their notebooks.

The beginnings
Kagyezi says he has never answered the question of who he is but he only identifies himself as a Born again and a prophet.
“I’m a software engineer and I run a software engineering firm in Ntinda. I have been ministering for three years,” Kagyezi says.
He spent most of his childhood in Masaka and he got saved in 2006.

“Being a break dancer and a “badboy” at Agakhan school, I realised it was not adding value to me and I gave my life to Christ,” he explains. Kagyezi went to Makerere University for his Bachelor’s degree and joined Watoto Church. At university, Kagyezi would book free lecture rooms to hold fellowships with his colleagues.

“At one of the fellowships more than 400 people turned up. The number was overwhelming,” he recounts, adding that something strange happened as he preached . “Many people fell down as I prayed. I used to think that it was a doing of fake pastors.”
After several fellowships that got many people falling and him telling people what was on their minds, he got to know he was more than a believer.

Spreading his wings
After university in 2015, he had become established holdinig three meetings a week. He decided to call it Pneuma Word Ministries. Pneuma is a Greek word which means spirit and Kagyezi says, he “demonstrates spirits”.

Due to big numbers, he shifted to Grand Global Hotel, Kikoni- Makerere before his recent acquired space in Kyanja. He has not built a church yet although it is in plan. For now, he erects a tent where the masses go for praise and worship.

Experience
Kagyezi preaches about the grace. He leads a worship song first as most of the congregants close their eyes, some with tears rolling. Then he, breaks into prayer as most people mumble. Then he goes quiet before he steps forward to turn his Bible’s pages. One of the congregants whispers, “He breathes life into the Bible, he makes one wonder whether they know the Bible.” I nod and this congregant adds.

As soon as he gets on the podium, there are chants of, “Prophesy man of God, prophesy!” People take their seats and he does his thing. “When he prophesies; he gets too specific, too personal, too detailed and accurate,” my neigbhour goes on. This lasts about two hours and the service ends with a general prayer as some followers wish to meet the “man of God” individually.
Kagyezi says he has observed unity. “People at my church work together and unlike other churches, I always encourage people to work because at the end of the day, God is not going to provide everything for them while they sleep.”

How he pulls crowds
No wonder, he celebrated his third ministry anniversary on March 31 at Kampala Parents School’s basketball court because it is more spacious. Kagyezi says many people like his style of preaching.

“When someone comes for fellowships for the first time, they return without persuasion,” Kagyezi brags. He sees familiar faces and some come to give testimonies.

This does not come without challenges. “There is a man who used to come for fellowship but some time last year, he brought his wife who was not here to pray but to watch what happens. She had always heard about me from her husband,” Kagyezi said.

“After the fellowship, I told her what her intentions were, she got saved and she is now a regular. Another incident; I was invited to one of the fellowships. There were some pastors who told the congregation not to listen to me because they claimed I was a false prophet but they also ended up praying with us. I can tell people’s intentions as I pray.”

His worst moment
Prophet Kagyezi’s recalls when a tabloid wrote about him saying he was a false prophet. I felt downcast and panicked but after I learnt to handle such situations.” He was also attacked by a family which he prophesied on. “The family attacked me saying there are some things that should remain private and should not be told to other people,” he recounts.
His best moment is constant: “I pleasure in preaching the Word of God.”.

Quick notes
Fees for prophecy?
Kagyezi defended all other prophets saying it is not true what people always say that they charge money to prophesy and that the reason behind their wealth is because they have other jobs. “I’m expecting Shs100m this month after developing some App for a school, I also earn from selling and buying property, I’m also into banking, I have a piggery,” Kagyezi said.

His mentor: In Kagyezi’s office, are two photos on the wall of Shepherd Bushiri, a prophet in UK and Prophet Ubert Angel from South Africa. He talked about Prophet Bushiri being one of the best prophets in the world and that he is the one he takes as his mentor.

In his view: Some Ugandans have failed to accept that the prophecy is a Godly calling but black magic. “Prophets are going to be the biggest ministers in Uganda soon because I God has chosen the prophetic office.”