It is Christmas season this weekend, arguably the biggest end-of-year event.
Some of the people marking this holiday have even forgotten that it is a Christian spiritual day. Churches will receive their biggest attendance of the year. Apart from the historical advantage of Christianity being the religion of the rulers, the colonialists, the Church has remained relevant and influential even to us Muslims, mainly because of its crucial part in provision of essential social services such as healthcare and education.
The education provided by both the Catholics and Church of Uganda (Protestants) remains the strongest in the country. I think some young people don’t even know that King’s College Budo, St Mary’s College Kisubi, Gayaza High School, Namagunga, Namilyango, or Nabbingo are church-founded schools.
For us Muslims, mainly because of history and poor management, we are still playing catch-up. In Masaka, where I was born and raised, the church was more important in our lives than government.
In the remote village of Kitosi where my mother was born, in newly-created Kalungu district, I think at one time all functional health facilities and schools belonged to the church. Those of us from Kitosi were treated at a health centre in Kyamulibwa under the care of the late Fr Musanya.
Villa-Maria was our referral hospital. In Masaka, Kitovu was the go-to hospital and the nearby St Henry’s College remains the best-run and performing secondary school in the district.
In Kampala, church-founded health facilities such as Lubaga, Mengo and Nsambya are still as significant as ever. Four of my five children have all been delivered at Lubaga hospital under Dr Mbisirikire Kitamirike. I am somehow an alumnus of Lubaga hospital. The importance of mainly the Catholic and Protestant churches in our lives can, therefore, not be overemphasized.
But as I thank the Church for the social services well rendered, I am troubled by its failure or limited push for good governance in this country. In fact, part of the reason the Church is overwhelmed by the numbers in their schools and health facilities is because of the absence of good governance.
The clergy have embraced the politics of brown envelopes, which is killing our country. To his credit, Mr Museveni has reduced the degree of violence and, instead, replaced it with politics of handouts. This is mainly what is fuelling corruption across the board.
Mr Museveni, whom I consider an illegitimate president, has seized public property and finances and is using them as though he inherited them from his father. Can you imagine Makerere University, home to over 40,000 students, was closed over Shs 30 billion yet our dear president has Shs 91 billion for donations?
And, unfortunately, the clergy have become some of the recipients of such money. It is the reason the president is invited as the guest of honour at every consecration ceremony of bishops.
Muslims have copied this and have started throwing parties for things that used to happen quietly such as the appointment of a deputy mufti. Recently, there was a swearing-in ceremony of the deputy mufti at Uganda Muslim Supreme Council premises presided over by Mr Museveni. Such a thing has never happened before, but if you want a vehicle, you must be creative.
All of us are learning very quickly. If you want a brand new vehicle, crown a chief or consecrate a bishop and invite Museveni as chief guest. Museveni said he doesn’t care about legacy, but when his time to go comes, he is likely to go with our collective credibility. That is how Gen Moses Ali was able to silence a clergyman who criticized MPs over lavish spending at a function.
Gen Ali is reported to have asked the clergyman to return the vehicle that Museveni gave him before he criticizes MPs. Yes, the clergy have overwhelmingly become beneficiaries of Museveni money. These days, majority of the sheikhs – partly because of their vulnerability – work as if they are a department of State House.
Therefore, as the world marks Christmas day this year, let the clergy repent before their congregation and renew their spiritual commitment before they ask anyone else to do so.
I have heard their voice on Kasese but, as expected, it was very soft. Issues of human rights abuses know no boundaries. It is political parties and, to a small extent, cultural institutions, that have suffered under the revolutionary leader, but religious institutions are not spared either.
To have meaningful reforms that will usher in sustainable growth, the Church should watch its relationship with the perpetrators of corruption and abuses. If a bishop receives a brown envelope or a vehicle from Mr Museveni, where does he get the moral authority to criticize MPs when they demand tax exemptions? Let us get real!
semugs@yahoo.com
The author is Kira Municipality MP.