Museveni calls for unity as Luweero Anglican bishop is consecrated

President Museveni has congratulated the people of Luweero upon the successful consecration of the 4th bishop of the Anglican diocese, stressing the need to fight poverty through Church ministry.

Bishop Wilson Kisekka succeeds Bishop Eridard Nsubuga Kironde who retired after clocking the mandatory retirement age of 65 years in July 2023.

In his message delivered by the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, at the consecration service on Sunday, Mr Museveni re-echoed his earlier messages to religious leaders, urging them to help transform lives of the faithful through holistic and relevant spiritual guidance.

“I congratulate the people of Luweero now that you have a new Bishop. I also congratulate the Caretaker Bishop James Ssebagala who took over the shepherd role when the 3rd bishop retired. A holistic and relevant Church Ministry must embrace other human needs on top of spirituality,” he said.

“About 38 per cent of our people are still under subsistence farming practices that have tied them into persistent poverty. This is very dangerous because in addition to food, we need to generate income to meet the other basic life needs. This is the major reason why the Church leaders have to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the message they preach is holistic. Poverty should not derail us from serving God. A wealthy Christian will serve God happily. I urge the people of Luweero to work with the new bishop to get out of poverty,” President Museveni who pledged Shs50m for the new bishop and Diocese told the faithful in Luweero.

Archbishop Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, who led the consecration service called for unity among the people of Luweero.

“I appeal for unity and continued development in the greater Luweero area now that we have the bishop. Days of lamenting and grumbling by a section of the people of Luweero are long gone. We need to have our hands busy with the right activities. You should work and support your new bishop,” he said.

The new bishop promised to dedicate a bigger part of his life in peace building and bring about harmony among the faithful.

“I will also fight to protect the environment through nature conservation programmes, ensure the welfare of Church ministers, and preach the word of God. We have a lot of land that should be put to use to guard against selfish people that would take it away. We should also strengthen the education in our church-founded schools,” Bishop Kisekka said.