The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, has asked Ugandans not to conform to world standards but rather be transformed to do righteous.
Kaziimba made the call during his New Year’s sermon to Christians at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe.
“Let us have a good mindset, especially behavioral change…like people wearing torn trousers which they say are ‘damaged’…can you imagine! Damage which means that the brain is also damaged. We should always have a reflection of God in whatever we say and do,” said Kaziimba.
The Archbishop also appealed to Ugandans to desist from immoral and hateful acts like murder, land grabbing, corruption, abortion, and others. He said that these should not continue in the New Year and appealed for sanity.
Rt. Rev. Moses Banja, the newly consecrated Bishop of Namirembe Diocese also appealed to Ugandans to accept the transformation done by the Lord Jesus Christ and to work for peace, transformation, and success of the nation.
According to the church leaders, the lack of adequate penalties for corruption as well as motivation for transparency, are some of the reasons why corruption is thriving in Uganda. They argue that this makes the corrupt especially in government offices abuse their offices without fear of being penalized.
At All Saints Cathedral, Kampala, the Rt. Rev. Hannington Mutebi, the Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese, said that corruption can only be defeated by individual decisions which would then create a corrupt-free society.
Mutebi said pointing fingers at one another will not lead to victory against corruption.
He also warned political leaders against rejecting or ignoring the advice or counsel of spiritual leaders. This, according to Mutebi, has been the reason why many things go wrong in the country.
President Yoweri Museveni has always been on the record telling off religious leaders who make what he calls political statements, and he says this is not their duty.
According to Museveni, spiritual leaders are only expected to guide their followers on spiritual issues and development matters, but not politics and leadership.
However, quoting several verses in the Bible, Bishop Mutebi said it is a God-given role that the spiritual leaders give counsel to political leaders.
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