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Release some prisoners during holy week, clerics urge Museveni
Vice President Jesca Alupo (in purple dress) speaks with religious leaders, Archbishop of Kampala Paul Ssemogerere (left), Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu (2nd left), and Bishop of Namirembe Moses Banja (4th left), as Uganda Episcopal Conference Chairperson Bishop Anthony Zziwa (right) and State Minister for Kampala Kabuye Kyofatogabye (in yellow) look on. This was after the joint ecumenical Way of the Cross prayers on April 18, 2025, at Old Kampala. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
What you need to know:
- Rev Ssemogerere prayed for peace and unity.
Thousands of Christians in Uganda on Good Friday gathered at their respective churches to commemorate the Ecumenical Public Way of the Cross.
The celebrations were held under the theme: ‘They woke him and cried, Lord save us! We are lost/perishing,’ derived from the book of Mathew 8:25.
In Kampala, teams of enthusiastic believers led by the heads of the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox churches and armed with wooden crosses marched to Old Kampala Secondary School field, where they joined the rest of the world to commemorate Good Friday.
The clerics included: the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rev Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu; the Archbishop of the Kampala Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Jeronymos Muzeeyi; the Kampala Archbishop, Rev Paul Ssemogerere; the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese, Rev Moses Banja; the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kampala, Rev Jackson Fredrik Balwa and the Chairperson of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) who doubles as the chair of Uganda Episcopal Conference, Rev Anthony Zziwa, among others.
In his sermon, Mr Kaziimba called on Christians to turn to Jesus whenever they are confronted with the shocks of life.
"Jesus is the one who calms the storms of life. Storms may come in form of sickness, economic troubles, corruption, violence, but the best thing to do is to call on Jesus. He is both Human and God. He rebukes the storms because he has gone through storms. He was despised and crucified by his own," he said.
He also challenged the government to consider releasing some prisoners during the holy week.
"Your excellence, during the time of the holy week, we request that you release some prisoners so that they can carry the cross with us. If you could adopt this custom, it will be a good one," he said amid thunderous applause from the audience.
The faithful take part in the ecumenical way of the cross prayers at Lubaga Cathedral as Christians mark the day Jesus was killed. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
In response, the Vice President, Ms Jessica Alupo, who represented President Museveni, said she would bring the issue to her boss’s attention.
Ms Alupo acknowledged the efforts of the Joint Christian Council and the Interreligious Council in promoting and demonstrating unity among Christians across Uganda.
“With unity, we do things well, faster and harmoniously. As Christians, we appreciate the counsel you have given to us so that we can do things together for a prosperous country,” she said.
Ms Alupo implored religious leaders to encourage their followers to embrace government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) to enable all the faithful to be involved in the money economy for socio-economic transformation
“Uganda is one of the best investment and tourist destinations globally. I would like to therefore, to call upon the faithful to embrace government programmes of educating all the children through UPE and USE. Also, improve your household income through government programmes like Parish Development Model (PDM), older persons and disability grants, women and youth fund,” she said.
Ms Alupo said Uganda is now pacified and therefore, the citizens should take advantage of the peaceful environment to transform their families and the country at large.
Rev Zziwa called for unity and urged the faithful to embrace the message given by the Rt Rev Kaziimba.
"The continuity of corruption, especially in the public sector, greatly affects service delivery to the less privileged members of our society.
We therefore, call upon all those concerned institutions to intensify measures aimed at containing the corruption in our country, Uganda," he said, adding,” he said, adding: “As you have witnessed in the past, and especially at the beginning of this year, we experienced an abnormal dry season, and later, the floods in some parts of Kampala. Some people died.
The flooding of those areas may be linked to the environmental degradation where some people have occupied and destroyed wetlands."
Rev Ssemogerere prayed for peace and unity.
The celebrations were also attended by officials from the Electoral Commission led by their spokesperson, Mr Julius Mucunguzi.
In Mbarara, religiouss and political leaders urged Christians to be peaceful and united during this holy week to emulate Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save their sins.
Speaking during a joint prayer after the ecumenical walk of cross by Ankole Diocese Anglican and Mbarara Archdiocese from Nyamityobora to Booma grounds, Rev Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa commended Christians for having joint prayers, and urged locals, especially leaders to avoid engaging in habits of bribery as he related it to Judas Iscariot who took a bribe to betray Jesus Christ.
“Life is better than everything, the word of life is crucial, we thank God that we have had joint prayers together. I remember, we used to pray with the late Archbishop Paul Bakyenga at Booma Grounds. Unity is good,” he said.
He added “All this holy week, we remember what Jesus Christ passed through. He was betrayed by Judas. That means bribery and corruption is as old as mankind. He was given 30 silver cents. Always avoid blood money. JudaS reached an extent of regretting why he surrendered the son of God,” he said.
The Mbarara Archdiocese Vicar General, Severinus Ndugwa, encouraged Christians to fight and hate sin and bad deeds, noting that there have been a lot of murder cases in local communities.
“Today we come together to pray for innocent prisoners who are in cells. God should have mercy and find a way for them to get out of prisons because we know that some are there and are innocent,” Buhweju MP, Mr Francis Mwijukye said.
Christians across the globe will celebrate Easter Day in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
In his Easter Message, the Bishop of Ruwenzori Diocese (Anglican), Rt. Rev. Reuben Kisembo, urged political actors to shun hate, divisions, and violence, promoting peace and dialogue instead.
"As campaigns draw closer, we appeal to our citizens to listen attentively to all aspirants and vote for God-fearing people," he said, referencing Proverbs 29:2. "Let us avoid being bought with money. If someone gives you money to vote for them, that candidate disqualifies themselves."
Bishop Kisembo cautioned against acts of hooliganism, such as defacing candidates' posters or engaging in violent confrontations, and urged the Electoral Commission to maintain integrity and independence. He also condemned the misuse of security forces during elections, citing a recent incident in Kawempe North constituency.
"We appeal to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to stop commanding security forces to beat voters and journalists," Kisembo said, adding that every candidate deserves a chance to share their vision with the public.
Compiled by David Walugembe, Alex Ashaba, Julius Byamukama, and Jane Nafula
