Ahead of this weekend’s annual thanks-giving to honour Prophet Elvis Mbonye, Geofrey Serugo delves into the man that sharply divides public opinion.
Winston Churchill, the British prime minister during World War II, coined one of the most powerful phrases in 1939 when he described Russia’s complex manoeuvres as a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” He used this phrase to outline a situation that was hard to understand.
Incidentally, the same phrase could describe Prophet Elvis Mbonye – at least as far as what is said and heard about him. Conflicting narratives and testimonies make it difficult to comprehend who Mbonye really is. Yet his hordes of followers, who subscribe themselves as remnants, claim his prophetic revelations and predictions accompanied by their confirmation and fulfillment testify to the heavenly office he occupies and operates.
Meet a remnant and you will be overwhelmed by positive testimonies of blessings, healings and prophetic powers not seen anywhere in the world. From the outside, it is commonplace to read and hear about a flashy, delusional man who thinks he is higher than all the men of God
in the Bible.
UNIQUE STYLE
Many times, Mbonye has admitted that he operates in the realm of secrets and can unveil what is hidden in a person’s life.
“When you get that revelation, you have the advantage in life,” he said at last year’s thanksgiving.
One thing for sure is that Mbonye operates in a very unique way from other leading Pentecostal figures in Uganda. That perhaps explains why he rarely hobnobs with other top pastors/prophets. When it comes to ministering, he sometimes gives his prophecies in parables and it takes a keen ear to fully understand what he talks about.
This creates room for different interpretations if you’re an ‘outsider.’ That’s why when he predicted the exact date of the 2004 tsunami (December 24) three months prior to the disaster or the 2010 Uganda terrorist bombings, few took note until the tragedies happened.
But he has also given several pretty direct prophecies such as the August 7, 2012 Uganda chopper crashed enroute to a military operation in Somalia and the recent collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, a prophecy he gave on December 6, 2022 before the bank’s woes three months later.
What’s more, it is very evident that his followers are mostly middle-aged, well-to-do people, including several prominent politicians and celebrities. You can hardly find any ragtag in the audience. His weekly prophetic fellowships attract thousands and can easily be seen as a meeting of the affluent with a keen sense of fashion.
During moments of offertory, it is said that some remnants offer as much as Shs 10m in a single sitting. His critics for this reason that this partly explains why Mbonye, who was ministering to just 100 people in a small hall at Hotel Triangle around 2013, is seen as perhaps the richest preacher in the country.
CRITICISM
Some of the biggest criticism against Mbonye is his flashy, glamourous way of ministering.
“Throughout the Bible, men of God were never flashy or showy. They lived and mingled with ordinary people but Mbonye operates way above the ordinary pastor and this does not bode well for ordinary people who are led to believe that richness is the key to heaven,” says Male Gitta, a social critic.
But he makes no bones with his flashy lifestyle. During a media interview in 2017, he confessed that he would rather be flamboyant than shabby. Personally, Mbonye has been attacked several times by other pastors, apostles and bishops, especially for allowing his followers to glorify and venerate him as though he is God.
Strangely, he has never publicly shot back at them. Though during honour celebration of 2018, he revealed that God is in the process of restoring the reverence of His ministers today, chief of which is honouring them.
He has also been accused of engaging in irrelevant prophetic predictions. For instance, he drew criticism in 2021 when he foretold the outcome of the Oscars before even the nominees list was out. Many questioned the relevance of a gospel minister foretelling the results of the secular event such as the Oscars.
“Many of his predictions are useless and hardly have any impact on the ordinary Ugandan. The prophecies we need are the future of this country, something like the Kiteezi tragedy so that we can put our people to account for not adhering to Prophet Mbonye’s words. Otherwise, those things of Oscars have no bearing on his followers,” Edward Kyakulaga a religious critic, said.
To such critics, Prophet Mbonye says the primary reason for all the prophecies is to awaken people to God’s voice so that they may turn to Him, not exactly to draw attention unto himself.
WHY SEPTEMBER 1?
This weekend will mark the 8th thanksgiving that will be held celebrating Prophet Mbonye but until recently, it did not occur why he chose September 1. One thing for sure is that come Sunday, expect a show of grandiose at Zoe grounds as thousands shower Mbonye with all sorts of gifts.