There are 10 priests who offered themselves to succeed retiring Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira when he clocks 65 years in December.
CANDIDATES
So far, the candidates include Rev Can Moses Kayimba (50 years), Ven Rev Can Moses Banja (59 years), Rev Edward Stephen Kabanda (53 years), Ven Can John Gitta Kavuma (58 years) and Ven BK Buwembo (50 years).
Others are Rev Semei Ssebina Sekiziyivu (55 years), Rev Emmanuel Lutaaya (58 years), Rev Dr Thomas Timothy Nsubuga (59 years), Rev Esau Bbosa Kimanje and Rev Dr Enock Kimanje. At the moment, they are still awaiting the vetting by the diocesan 15-member nomination committee chaired by Fred Mpanga, the chancellor of Namirembe diocese.
The Observer understands that whereas the process seems smooth on the surface, there is a great deal of lobbying by different camps behind the scenes. On July 27, Mpanga convened a nomination committee meeting at Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga hall at Namirembe that lasted six hours.
According to a source who attended the heated meeting, the committee failed to agree on the criteria of vetting.
“Some people wanted us to vet the credentials of just three names but others demanded to interface and vet each of the ten candidates because their role was to nominate and, not to endorse,” said the source.
PROVINCIAL CANONS
According to section 3.7.22 of the Provincial Canons of the Church of Uganda, for one to qualify for nomination for the office of the bishop, he should be a priest with not less than 10 years’ experience in pastoral ministry and at least 45 years of age.
“One shall be a holder of at least a bachelor’s degree in Theology or Divinity or a first degree in any other field with a postgraduate diploma in Theology or Divinity,” reads the section.
The canons spell out that the nomination committee shall evaluate candidates based on age, academic qualification, experience in pastoral ministry, spiritual life and testimony, family life, integrity and social standing.
STALEMATE
According to another source, some of the candidates do not meet the criteria for the office of the bishop. Some applicants have since been sighted in wrangles with believers, mismanagement of church resources, and lack of appropriate academic documents while others have not served 10 years of priesthood.
However, the most contentious issue in the meeting surrounded arrangement of academic qualifications. According to the source, the nomination committee meeting also failed to agree on the academic criteria to be used.
“There are some candidates whom some members wanted to be disqualified on grounds that they had a diploma in Theology first and then a degree but most members argued that order doesn’t matter,” the source said.
“The new bishop of Mukono had a certificate in Theology and a degree in Environmental Studies before attaining a master’s in Divinity this year. So, the order is not ideal.”
The Observer understands that the committee didn’t make any resolution or any step towards the nomination of candidates.
Reached out for a comment, Mpanga denied convening the nomination committee. “They are lying to you. I didn’t convene the nomination committee. Nothing happened on that day. Let your source show you the attendance list,” he said.
The committee is later this month expected to nominate two names to the House of Bishops, of which one will be elected the bishop of Namirembe diocese.
The House of Bishops which is made up of 37 bishops is convened by Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu. The voting exercise is expected to take place in August.
LUWALIRA LEGACY
Luwalira, who rose from grass to grace, is applauded for bringing the church closer to the believers; overseeing the starting of new churches and archdeaconries; refurbishing Namirembe cathedral, a project that cost over Shs 3 billion as well as establishing Namirembe FM, among other projects.
Luwalira is one of the four priests in the 1988 cohort ordained by late Bishop Misaeri Kauma who went on to rise through ranks to become bishops. They include Archbishop Kaziimba, Bishop William Ssebaggala and Bishop Henry Katumba Tamale. They have been working hand in hand and helping each other throughout the years.
NAMIREMBE TRADITION
Since its inception in 1960, Namirembe diocese has had five bishops starting with Leslie Brown who served for five years. He was followed by Dunstan Nsubuga, who was the first indigenous bishop. He served for 10 years before he was succeeded in 1985 by Kauma, who served for nine years.
Samuel Ssekkadde later took the mantle and served for 15 years before passing on the baton to Luwalira in 2009. The Namirembe cathedral is the mother of all churches in the province of the Church of Uganda. It is also the biggest, with vast pieces of land, buildings and other projects.
Going by its history, Namirembe has always prioritized having younger clergy to become bishop. Last year, Mpanga called for applications from all eligible candidates who seek to replace Luwalira. Mpanga and his team have since then been doing background checks on all the applicants before seconding two names to the House of Bishops for election.
In recent years, the Church of Uganda has been embroiled in controversy of the election of bishops. In 2019, Charles Okunya was elected as the second bishop of Kumi diocese but then archbishop Stanley Ntagali revoked it in February, 2020 on grounds of falsification of age.
Early this year, the House of Bishops elected Godfrey Kasana Ssemakula to become Luweero diocese bishop but disqualified him on grounds that he had two mistresses with whom he sired children. So, it remains to be seen whether the Namirembe nomination committee will navigate the process without controversy.
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