May Lent season bear good fruits

Last Wednesday, Christians in Uganda joined millions of other faithful around the world to mark the beginning of the Lent season. This is also a period where

Christians draw closer to God through reflection, asking for forgiveness and renewal, ahead of the Easter holiday. 

It is important that, as a country, we use this season to reflect on what is currently happening around us. The past few weeks have seen unprecedented public debate on homosexuality. There have been numerous reports of our children being recruited into the vice, especially in schools. This issue has also divided the Church. 

The Church of England, from which other Anglican provinces derive, tossed an explosive into the discourse after its governing body on February 9 voted for priests to bless same-sex couples in civil marriages. In a swift rejoinder, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba of the Province of Church of Uganda said the Canterbury decision contradicted the teachings of the Bible and God. The same issue polarised clerics and believers after Pope Francis declared that laws criminalising homosexuality were “sin … and an injustice”.

Before the dust could settle, we were hit by a scandal involving the minister-in-charge of Karamoja Affairs, Ms Mary Goretti Kitutu, over allegations of diversion of relief items meant for the vulnerable communities in northeastern Uganda. We still haven’t concluded on the scandals surrounding National Social Security Fund.

Land evictions have been normalised and the vulnerable people have been left without much help. We are also yet to heal from our deep political divisions that have cost us our loved ones.

Furthermore, police registered an additional 35,000 criminal cases in the last year compared to 2021, according to the just released 2022 annual crime report. According to the report, a total of 231,653 cases were recorded in 2022 compared to 196,081 the previous year. Police said theft, narcotics, breaking-ins, land grabbing and child-related offences were the top five offences recorded in 2022. All these continue to happen in a country where more than 60 percent of the population is said to be Christian.

We should use this Lent to reflect. We also need a permanent solution for the security situation in our country, just as we need a solution for corruption, greed and injustices meted on those vulnerable in our society. 

It is our hope that out of this season, we can see a positively changed Uganda. For it is only through this reflection, asking for forgiveness and renewal, that we shall progress in our quest for nation building.