President Museveni lauds church’s role in shaping Uganda’s future

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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has praised the growing partnership between the Church and the government in driving national development, citing the Church’s role in promoting unity, wealth creation, and the moral fabric of society.

Speaking at the official opening of All Saints Church Sembabule in West Buganda Diocese, Sembabule district, President Museveni thanked former foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa and Tororo Cement Limited for their role in constructing the new church, which seats up to 1,200 worshippers. The project was completed in October 2023.

“I want to thank Hon. Sam Kutesa for bringing this idea of building a Church to the donors who quickly built it for us here. I thank him so much,” President Museveni remarked, paying tribute to both Kutesa and the Patel family of Tororo Cement. 

He noted the family's continued support towards Uganda’s development despite their non-Christian background, aligning their actions with Jesus’ teaching that “we shall know them by what they do, not what they say.”

“These Indian people have their own religion; they are not Christians, but in their own religion, they have a lot of piety. That's why you see that even if they are not Christians, they aim at purity of life, conduct and brotherhood,” the President said.

Museveni reflected on the pivotal role Christianity played in his upbringing and education, recalling that his family converted to Christianity in 1947. 

“We really salute those pioneers. In my family as usual we have resistance fighters who didn't change so quickly. My great-great-great-grandfather and grandparents refused to join; it was my father, Amos Kaguta, and my mother who joined Christianity in 1947,” he said.

The President stressed that the establishment of churches today must go hand-in-hand with efforts to foster economic growth, social transformation, and national cohesion. He urged the faithful to continue preaching unity, feeding the hungry, healing the sick and working hard to uplift their communities.

Representing the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rev. Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, Rt Rev. Samuel George Bogere Egesa, the Bishop of Bukedi Diocese, commended President Museveni for officiating at the event and for his historic decision to split Tororo district into four administrative units to ease tensions between the Japadhola and the Iteso communities.

“Your Excellency, we thank you for the peace, stability and security prevailing in our country and because of that, we have freedom of worship,” Bishop Egesa said. He also urged the people of Sembabule to embrace love and unity, particularly during election seasons.

Bishop Egesa further lauded Tororo Cement for their generosity, highlighting that Sembabule is one among many communities that have benefited from the company's church-building initiatives for the Anglican community.

Sam Kutesa, the former Mawogola County North MP, explained that the church was built both in honour of his parents’ conversion to Christianity and as an act of personal thanksgiving after surviving throat cancer, fulfilling a promise he had made to God.

Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, the MP for Mawogola North, thanked her parents for dedicating themselves to God's work.

She also hailed President Museveni for his poverty alleviation efforts, citing his recent distribution of 100,000 coffee seedlings to villages around Kisozi in Gomba district.

Rev. Canon Gaster Nsereko, Bishop of West Buganda Diocese, extended his gratitude to President Museveni for his unwavering support towards Church initiatives and Church-founded schools.

He also praised Sam Kutesa for prioritising projects that benefit the wider community.

“We thank you and your dear wife so much because we know you are the author of what we are seeing today with our naked eyes,” he said.

Rev. Canon Enock Muhanguzi, the Archdeacon of All Saints Church Sembabule, similarly thanked both President Museveni and Kutesa’s family for their commitment to the Church's construction.

Manish Varsani, representing the Patel family of Tororo Cement, noted that when approached by Sam Kutesa, the family readily agreed to invest in the building of a Church and school, prioritising the welfare of the community over personal interests.

The event was attended by ministers, Members of Parliament, religious leaders, and other dignitaries.