President Museveni rallies Pentecostals on wealth creation

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President Yoweri Museveni has called on Born-Again Christians to embrace and support government wealth creation initiatives.

The President’s message was delivered by the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, during the consecration of the Kigezi Region Bishop for the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda, Rev. Onesimus Byengoma Ngoboka, at Rukungiri Main Stadium on Friday.

The President urged all religious leaders and Christians to continue partnering with the government in its deliberate efforts to move all Ugandans out of poverty, mainly through adopting modern farming practices, including the four-acre model.

“Spiritual nourishment is important, but it is not the only aspect of the Christian ministry. A holistic and relevant ministry must express equal concern for other human needs of the faithful,” he stated.

According to the President, human wellbeing involves other needs besides spiritual nourishment, such as food, clothes, shelter, education and medicine; and failure to attain these means one is considered to be living in poverty.

“Therefore, I call upon all religious leaders to continue partnering with government on wealth creation to eliminate poverty,” Museveni added.

However, the President applauded religious leaders for mobilising believers to raise their standards of living and for their efforts to promote unity and harmony within society.

“I would like to thank Bishop Ngoboka for selflessly serving the Kigezi region with great vision and commitment towards nurturing the spiritual lives of believers and also driving them towards development in this short period,” he noted.

Museveni said the NRM government had introduced several programmes such as Emyooga, the Parish Development Model, the Youth Fund, and many other projects to eliminate poverty in communities.

“38% of Uganda’s population are still engaged in subsistence farming. They are still working for food only (kukolera ekidda kyonka, kukolera enda yonka). This is dangerous because, in addition to food, there are other human needs required to live a happy and long life,” Museveni noted.

The President said subsistence farming should therefore be eliminated because it is a recipe for poverty and backwardness.

Museveni highlighted four sectors where wealth and jobs can be created: commercial agriculture, industry, services, and ICT.

“I therefore urge leaders to help our people by encouraging them to go for commercial agriculture and also engage in other profitable ventures that can increase their household income so as to enter the money economy,” he said.

Several Born-Again Christians and others from different religious formations thronged the stadium to welcome the clergy.

The Archbishop of Pentecostal Churches in Uganda, Dr Moses Odongo, presided over the consecration.

Ngoboka will oversee the districts of Kanungu, Rukungiri, Rukiga, Kabale, Rubanda and Kisoro, as well as the respective municipalities of Kabale and Rukungiri, among others.

Ngoboka promised to work with other religious leaders for the betterment of the region and the country at large.

He said promoting unity, peace and love are among his key objectives in his new responsibilities, regardless of someone’s tribe or religion.

The Security Minister, Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, thanked President Museveni for the freedom of worship ushered in by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, allowing people to worship in peace and in religious institutions of their choice.

"Allowing people to worship in their favourite religions was brought by the NRM government. This is one of the contributions of stability and peace in Rukungiri and the whole country at large," Muhwezi said.

Muhwezi emphasised the need, especially during elections, to remind people what the NRM government has done, including strengthening security, the economy and political stability, among others.

He urged Ngoboka to be transparent and to support government programmes aimed at transforming the people, while preaching unity.