Have Uganda’s Roman Catholic Politicians Sold their Soul to the Devil for Thirty Pieces of Silver?

 

by Valerian Kkonde

ACCPU

 

 

Charles Lwanga baptises the young Kizito a few hours before they are condemned to death at Munyonyo. You do not have to abandon your faith and values because of political favours. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

 Uganda today ably answers the description of a nuisance, a disgrace, a laughing stock and a terror regime typical of a banana republic.

 

The picture of a stable, prosperous, peaceful and exemplary country is a mirage being painted by the very people who have masterminded the flashing down the sewer of the once pearl of Africa; the very people who have been in power for four decades. This is the very group that took up arms, after the flawed 1980 general elections, promising to introduce rule of law, human rights, sustainable peace and development.

 

Many can be seen shedding tears of blood inside, but struggle to put on a brave face for the sake of accumulating obscene wealth and remain in the limelight. But how many of these demagogues can pass the “lifestyle audit” to justify the money they throw around! Remember that this group started with stealing chicken; today they are stealing ten trillion a year! They are feeding on Ugandans as they feed on milk. And they are bent on lying and destruction.

 

This group, unlike past regimes, conducts its affairs in a manner that clearly states that Uganda rather goes up in flames than be managed by other people.

 

In a way, it is no surprise since the 1995 Constitution which was promulgated to stem such evil schemes has long been, repeatedly, raped and dumped in the sewer by its own fathers! All institutions have been turned into Museveni Protection Agencies (MPAs). Their mandate is to crush threats, perceived or real, to Museveni’s continued stay in power.

 

The 2026 elections have proved that President Yoweri Museveni and group are still as primitive and raw as they came. Museveni has an intolerant narrow minded and evil patriotism, call it tribalism, which is bent on destroying those who oppose him politically. This is coupled with a false sense of superiority. It is this vengeful spirit which is responsible for the social, financial and political instability we are witnessing in Uganda today. The old man with a hat clearly nurses hatred emanating from long ago, betraying Uganda to be dominated by a violent thought. We cannot have mutual respect and tolerance in such setting, let alone rule of law, sustainable peace and development.

 

Key evil schemes of the general elections included the summary executions at the home of the Member of Parliament- Muwanga Kivumbi, the shooting and killing of many members of the opposition in different parts of the country, the ballot-stuffing and declaring people who had lost as the winners. Abductions and brutal tactics used to bar the opposition from reaching out to the electorate have gone down in the history of Uganda as some other primitive aspects of choosing leaders. President Museveni came out openly to brag about all this! The same applies to his son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the Commander of the Defence Forces. Like father, like son. But what qualifications does this CDF possess other than being the son of Yoweri Museveni who grabbed state power, and has been in power for over forty years?

 

For Museveni who walked over dead bodies to capture state power, nothing will stop him from killing many more to retain that power. Machiavelli is his role model!

 

The pain, hopelessness, anger and determination to revenge caused by the systematic land-grabbing carried out in the country is the first of the kind in the history of Uganda. As is the order of the day, it is being driven by those with power and guns. Can one comprehend the implications of becoming a refugee in your homeland?

 

Trying to come to terms with Museveni’s display of evil, brutish force, hatred, vengeance, moral decay, bloodshed, arrogance and impunity, a lot of questions arise. Most importantly, about the composition of this group. Is it made up of pagans, witches and blood suckers? Has this group got any values to boast of? By all purpose and intent, Museveni’s NRM is an accomplished terrorist cell.

 

Surprisingly and to the chagrin of those with a conscience prodding them, this group comprises of individuals with unquestionable attachment to, and association with the Roman Catholic Church which is cherished as a stronghold of charity in the contradictions of our time. Church teaching urges that, all the faithful, especially the lay faithful who live among the people of other religions, whether living in their native region or in lands as migrants, are expected to be for all a sign of the Lord and His Church, in a way adapted to the actual living situation of each place.  

 

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Once the hope and expectation of eternal happiness is taken away, temporal goods will be greedily sought after. Every man will strive to secure the largest share for himself -   Pope Leo XIII

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Under Museveni’s government, some of the seemingly most key positions are occupied by the Roman Catholics. The Vice President is Jessica Alupo while the Prime Minister is Robinah Nabbanja. The Speaker of Parliament is the flamboyant Annet Anita Among and her deputy is Thomas Tayebwa. Many other Roman Catholics occupy ministerial positions like that of State Minister for education in charge of higher institutions Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, Raphael Magezi for Local Government, Chris Baryomunsi for Information and National Guidance and Nobert Mao for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.  

 

Government comprises of three arms of governance. There is no doubt that the Legislature and the Judiciary are headed by members of the Roman Catholic Church. Concern rises over the spirit behind these appointments. Is it out of trust and great expectations from the Roman Catholic Church or it is sheer blackmail! These people are not only the face of the Church, they are the Church itself.

 

This is not to deny them their right to belong to any political party or to associate but to emphasize that their faith, the teaching and values of the Church must not be detached from their way of life. Equipped with all the requirements for participating in the activities of this evil-laden journey, these Roman Catholics ought to be the path to the common good.

 

And it all starts at Baptism. Our journey to be the salt of the earth and light of the world starts at the sacrament of Baptism. It protects us from hypocrisy — the danger of appearing religious without interior conversion.

 

Pope Leo XIV has this to say about Baptism which all these Roman Catholic politicians in the evil NRM pride themselves in: “This first of the sacraments is a sacred sign that accompanies us forever. In moments of darkness, Baptism is light; in life’s conflicts, it is reconciliation; at the hour of death, it is the gateway to heaven.”

 

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux insists that we cannot truly do good unless we are first anointed by grace. Even Jesus, in His humanity, does not act by sheer effort or moral resolve, but as the Christ, the Anointed. Without this interior function, our actions may be generous, but they risk becoming dry — lacking the oil of charity that gives them depth and endurance.

 

“When baptism is reduced to an external rite, its power is missed. But when it is lived, it continually anoints us, purifies our love, and draws us into communion. If we allow the Spirit to fill us — to heal us, delight us, and then overflow through us — we too will quietly, faithfully go about doing good, carrying into the world the fragrance of heaven already begun.”

 

In the Apostolic Exhortation: Christifideles Laici- The Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful- Saint Pope John Paul II calls upon the faithful “to take an active conscientious and responsible part in the mission of the Church today. He says that “It is necessary to keep a watchful eye on our world, with its problems and values, its unrest and hopes, its defeats and triumphs: a world whose economic, social, political and cultural affairs pose problems and grave difficulties. This is the world in which the faithful are called to fulfil their mission. This is where Jesus wants His people to be ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world.”

 

Pope Francis, on his part, warns against the temptation “of legitimising the unwarranted separation of faith from life, that is, a separation of the acceptance of the gospel from the actual living of the gospel in various situations in the world.”

 

The Roman Catholic Church is not short of examples which leaders and the faithful must emulate at all levels and in all circumstances. What are our Catholics doing under this challenging situation where oppression, torture, summary executions of political opponents and turning Ugandans into refugees in their own country are the order of the day? The impression one gets is that they are not only beneficiaries of these evil schemes but they have become the architects of the same!

 

Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among. Pope Leo XIV prays that our future leaders may be good men and women who serve the nation, seek the common good, and above all strive to unite and to 'add', not to subtract or divide.  

 Uganda is increasingly alarmed by patterns of violence, dehumanization, and disregard for human life and dignity. Every human being possesses an inviolable dignity that does not depend on supporting Museveni or perceived threat. When people are targeted, detained, separated from their families, or killed without accountability or due process, that dignity is violated. Such actions harm not only individuals and families but also the moral integrity of our society.

 

Uganda today raises more questions than answers. Are the Roman Catholic politicians emulating Judas the Iscariot who betrayed Jesus but at the end of the day failed to enjoy the thirty pieces of silver he got in turn? No sooner had he received the blood-stained money than it became too hot to retain. He threw it in the Church but the leaders, who had closely worked with him to betray his Master, removed it and used it to buy a place for burying strangers. What a case of double betrayal!!

 

Mother Church’s representatives in the bleeding Uganda have instead become accomplices in the tormenting of Ugandans. It is because of the indifference and complacency of the Roman Catholics in Museveni’s evil schemes that many times Ugandans consider the Church absent in their tribulations.

 

Can the faith you profess enable us see you advocate for and lead to a more sober lifestyle? Isn’t it satanic for Roman Catholics to be at the fore front of fragmenting Uganda? You cannot speak with honesty! Cannot discern patiently! Pushing for inequalities! You cannot demand for accountability for wrongdoings in the country! Be naïve enough to think that everything is fine. When will your faith and the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, which you like to show off, be translated into responsible and human decisions?

 

The need for dialogue is pertinent for entrenching sustainable peace and development in Uganda. But the president to dialogue with has nothing to offer; he is the architect of the anarchy that the country seeks to overcome. With the constitution, raped and dumped, what is the starting point for the dialogue? Can we demand for the return to constitutionalism as the basis for our dialogue? Why is the voice of these ‘powerful’ Roman Catholics absent when it comes to demanding for spaces where the voices of the people can be heard? The ready answer is that the perks that come with their positions have blinded them to the virtues and values proclaimed by the faith they profess.

 

Those trashing the so called dialogue with Museveni are basing on examples like these. These critical issues must be resolved first for the dialogue to be meaningful. It must be the constitution to be the basis for the management of these issues. In any case this is the only meaningful national dialogue that has been held under Museveni’s rule. Without the constitution as the guiding star, all this will be what Besekezi Ssennyonyi calls unconstructive “having of a cup of tea and a photo opportunity with Museveni” while criminalising of competitive politics and dehumanising Ugandans continue unabated.

 

It is painful to see ‘people’ offer themselves to be Museveni’s bikokooma- toilet paper! What should one say about what goes for elections and leadership in Uganda?

 

The Catholic Church’s credentials for search for peace, justice, human dignity, all summed up in the common good are there for everyone to see. The Catholic Church’s position on the two state option as the solution to the genocide in Palestine is consistent. But the Catholic Church has stated categorically that it will not join the Board of Peace. The Catholic Church is also pessimistic about the America- Russia- Ukraine peace talks. The Board of Peace’s particular nature is evidently not that of other States.

 Pope Leo XIV with Israel President Isaac Herzog in the Vatican. Pope Leo has categorically stated that the Catholic Church will not be a silent bystander amid challenges to peace.

“One concern,” the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Cardinal Parolin explains, “that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

 

Dialogue with a dictator and demagogue who presents himself as a freedom fighter and patriot, and his cohorts call a strategic thinker, is a grave insult if not a disgrace. Many people who claim to be after the so- called dialogue end up falling for positions in government. For the public, these are the visible signs of betrayal and lack of commitment to address their concerns.

 

There is no doubt that Uganda’s Constitution of 1995 has been shredded so much that it has lost respect, relevance and direction. But the critical elements of devolution of powers, rights of association and belonging that are still surviving, can still guide the country out of the quagmire. That is, if they are respected and left to work as mandated. Short of this, it is a wastage of time and mere entrenching of the demagogue and cohorts.

 

The pain endured in Uganda, coupled with the search for a new beginning, are some of the basis for demanding that Jessica Alupo, Robinah Nabbanja, Annet Anita Among, Thomas Tayebwa, John Chrysostom Muyingo and the host of others,  turn the Roman Catholic Church teaching and values into concrete action. Today you are not building the future of Uganda but rather destroying it. Can you lead in showing how enormous is the value for human life, justice, peace and love?

 

Of what importance is the presence of these many and powerful Roman Catholic politicians in the Uganda of today where people are treated as biological substances rather than sacred? When people on the opposition are disproportionately targeted, when families are torn apart, and when force is used in ways that escalate fear rather than ensure safety, people with a conscience are morally obligated to respond and stand up. Militarized tactics and the unchecked use of power have no place in the civilised Uganda. Unfortunately these are being institutionalised!

 

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Authority exists to serve and protect human life, not to dominate or destroy it.

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Pope Leo XIV and other Church leaders are making every effort to direct the world to put the common good at the fore front of whatever is done.  Pope Francis taught that our relationship with the Earth, with one another, and with God cannot be separated. When we exploit creation, human communities — especially the poorest and most vulnerable — suffer. Likewise, when we disregard the dignity of human life, our relationships with one another and with God are fractured. We cannot claim to care for our common home while remaining silent as our neighbors are harmed or killed.

 

Today the world is on the lookout for collaborators of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the devil incarnate; he had contacts with world leaders, scholars, royals and the richest on earth. Nobody ever thought that at this time round, these people would be making the apologies, the excuses and explanations being witnessed. Shame is also part of the exposures. Who knows, tomorrow it could be the same to the collaborators of Yoweri Museveni. It matters to remember that whatever you do, soon or later will catch up with you. Above all, every baptised Christian is to bear consistent witness to Christ.  

 

For God, a good relationship with others, concern for others, justice and practical love, are far more important than the millions donated in offertory. That is the teaching of mother Church.

 

How are our Roman Catholics using their statuses to facilitate rule of law and humanism in this evil regime? The state of affairs calls for particular urgency for action from Uganda’s Roman Catholic politicians.

 

Your failure to be light and salt of the world turns you into idle opportunists, a nuisance, a disgrace and the devil’s advocates. When will your faith transcend the regular shaking of hands with the Pope, sitting in the front pews during the Holy Mass and rubbing shoulders with the bishops? All these you do yet you are nowhere to be seen protecting the vulnerable and defending the dignity of all. Have you chosen to be Christians without Christ? This is where the danger comes from.

 

We make decisions and they have repercussions; better, you made choices to journey with Museveni’s NRM. But are you ready to own the consequences? Yet you have a choice. If you play with fire it will burn you. Stomach the consequences.

 

And if they decide to take part, as they have already done, what type of politics: the policies and approach should they advocate for? Is it a matter of life and death? Should they simply join the dining table and fulfill that adage: the mouth that eats does not speak? Or they should bring about the much needed change that entrenches hope, peace, rule of law and respect for human rights and dignity! Do they stand for the common good? Or they have chosen to be the typical hyenas occupying political positions the world over?

 

Are the Roman Catholic Church values necessary for your continued participation in politics? Do these values guide them or they are considered a stumbling block to their political pursuits and those of their political god-fathers?  The biggest disadvantage for these Roman Catholic politicians is that they cannot claim ignorance of what is taking place in the country. They cannot even claim that they do not know what to do; the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Social doctrine of the Catholic Church and the Holy Bible all offer what is needed of the faithful to be light and salt of the world. It all has to do with being consistent in witnessing Christ.

 

The Exhortation- Christifideles Laici- intends to stir and promote a deeper awareness among all the faithful of the gift and responsibility they share, both as a group and as individuals, in the communions and mission of the Church. It goes on to explain the foundation of the call, its meaning, obligations and consequences. It is another reminder that Jesus must be the centre of whatever we do.

 

For forty years, the presence of Roman Catholics in Museveni’s regime has failed to tame a regime that believes in settling differences with the barrel of the gun- “blood and iron.”

 

When are you to reflect the mission of the Church as a mother who welcomes, without condemning or judging?

 

As Uganda prepared for Independence in 1962, Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka Nakabaale (RIP) encouraged Roman Catholics to get involved in politics. But it was not a matter of being in government; they had to display the values of the Church in their activities and decisions so as to bring about peace, justice, freedom, rule of law and above all respect for human dignity.

 

Living the three principle values of faith, hope and love is the reason we celebrate, to this day, the first Chief Justice Benedict Kiwanuka Mugumba Kagimu. He not only frequented Lubaga Cathedral but lived and practiced these values. Those are the values that kept him away from the temptation of allowing to be used as a toilet paper for the sake of political positions. The same Benedict Kiwanuka did not hesitate to call for another election after the one he had won had been boycotted and even contested by Buganda.  He even stood up to the giant Idi Amin Dada to administer justice without compromising the sanctity of the Judiciary.

 

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We need a lot of hope and genuine leadership based on the values of the Gospel in such a difficult time for Uganda. One would expect the Roman Catholic politicians, especially in these most key positions, to offer this leadership. But where are they? What are they doing?  

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Today our Roman Catholic politicians are killing to be announced the winners while they had lost in broad day light. Ben Kiwanuka was murdered and has no grave but he will never be part of the group that caused oppression, repression and anarchy. The values and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which he held dear awakened in him the sense of duty, and made him better.

 

The Roman Catholic Church’s views of politics and world order founded on justice, peace, human rights and human dignity must be lived and practiced by the members who are active in politics. It is better to be out of politics than be there compromising the values of the faith you claim to profess. That is the source of primitive excuses that politics is a dirty game. On other occasions they say that the end justifies the means, or again that it is survival for the fittest.

 

Is it politics that is dirty or it is you who is? This is a fundamental moral failure.

 

Warning against violence, like the one that has become the way of life in Uganda, Pope Leo XIV said that “Violence – any violence – is the frontier that divides civilization from barbarism,”   adding that, “We must never underestimate an act of violence, and we must not be afraid to denounce it, including that climate of justification that seeks to mitigate or deny responsibility.”

 

The Pope goes on to advise that to walk together in mutual respect for humanity is not a dream, but it is rather the only possible reality for building a world of light for everyone.

 

On 1^st November 1900, Pope Leo XIII released an Encyclical: Tametsi Futura- Jesus Christ the Redeemer.

 

One hundred and twenty six years ago, the exact conditions, to be exact- the evils, which Pope Leo XIII sought to address are back haunting humanity. Uganda today is the summary of the world’s ills.

Uganda's forest cover is fast dwindling  due to greed with state protection in the name of development. The result is loss of precious fauna and flora leading to the environmental crisis. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

In this Exhortation Pope Leo XIII reminds us that the work of the Church is at the service of each individual and the whole of society- the common good.

 

“The fruit of sound political activity, which is so much desired by everyone but always lacking in advancement, is peace. The lay faithful cannot remain indifferent or be strangers and inactive in the face of all that denies and compromises peace, namely, violence and war, torture and terrorism, concentration camps, militarization of public life, the arms race, and the nuclear threat. The lay faithful, in working together with all those that truly seek peace and themselves serving in specific organisations as well as national and international institutions, ought to promote an extensive work of education intended to defeat the ruling culture of egoism, hate,, the vendetta and hostility, and thereby to develop the culture of solidarity, in fact, is the way to peace and at the same time to development.”  

 

As Roman Catholics we must never be party to ideologies contrary to the Gospel, exalting the supremacy of the strong and promote victory at any cost. The teaching of the Church must guide us that we can win without humiliating others; and that we can lose without being defeated as individuals.

 

The evil we witness in Uganda has its roots here; hearts have become cold, hardened, and poor in mercy and compassion. Museveni’s NRM is the manifestation of this evil. One cannot stop asking what influences the Roman Catholics who keep joining Museveni’s NRM. Whatever drives them to Museveni’s NRM, does it come from Christ or lead to Christ? Of course they know better.   

 

Pope Leo XIII’s warning of the consequences for leading a pagan life apply even today to the extent that the Encyclical reads as if it was directed to Uganda.

 

“How is it that, in spite of all the zeal for the welfare of the masses, nations are in such straits and even distress, and that the evil is daily on the increase? We are told that society is quite able to help itself; that it can flourish without the assistance of Christianity, and attain its end by its own unaided efforts. Public administrators prefer a purely secular system of government. All traces of the religion of our forefathers are daily disappearing from political life and administration. What blindness! Once the idea of the authority of God as the Judge of right and wrong is forgotten, law must necessarily lose its primary authority and justice must perish: and these are the two most powerful and most necessary bonds of society. Similarly, once the hope and expectation of eternal happiness is taken away, temporal goods will be greedily sought after. Every man will strive to secure the largest share for himself. Hence arise envy, jealousy, hatred. The consequences are conspiracy, anarchy, nihilism. There is neither peace abroad nor security at home. Public life is stained with crime.”

 

There is no reason, let alone any justification, for the Roman Catholic politicians to be party to the evil schemes that have all the semblance of well calculated plans to use the Roman Catholic Church as merely a platform for fulfilling their evil political project. What a joy when you become the ray of light and hope that promotes respect, harmony, perseverance, and sustainable peace and development!

 

The Roman Catholic Church values and teaching place you at the frontline of fighting the culture of abuse and injustice which Museveni has entrenched in Uganda. If your participation in Museveni’s NRM is not based on the promotion of the values of justice, non-violence and peace, then the claim of pursuing the common good is mere rhetoric, hypocrisy, greed.

 

The time “For God and my Country” is now.

 Editor- ACCPU brings together Catholic Communicators in Uganda for purposes of promoting evangelisation and integral human development using means of social communication.

Holy See will not participate in Board of Peace- Cardinal Parolin Reveals

VATICAN 

 By Alessandro Guarasci – Rome

Cardinal Pietro Parolin with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts at Palazzo Borromeo.  (@VATICAN MEDIA)

The Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” stated Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, on the sidelines of the bilateral meeting in Rome with the Italian Government at Palazzo Borromeo, seat of the Embassy of Italy to the Holy See, on the occasion of the anniversary of the signing of the Lateran Pacts.

This is the position expressed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the sidelines of the bilateral meeting in Rome with the Italian Government at Palazzo Borromeo, seat of the Embassy of Italy to the Holy See, on the occasion of the anniversary of the signing of the Lateran Pacts.

Also present at the meeting was the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

Important to provide a response

In response to journalists’ questions about Italy’s participation as an observer in the Board of Peace, Cardinal Parolin pointed out that “there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed. There are some critical points that would need to find explanations.

The important thing,” the Cardinal added, “is that an attempt is being made to provide a response. However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved.”

“One concern,” the Vatican Secretary of State explained, “is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

Pessimism regarding Ukraine

The Vatican Secretary of State also expressed concern regarding the war in Ukraine, a few days before the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. This has been an anniversary that is also accompanied by heavy bombardments against energy infrastructure in Kyiv and in other cities.

"Regarding Ukraine," according to the Cardinal, “there is considerable pessimism. On both sides it does not seem to us that there are real advances regarding peace, and it is tragic that after four years, we still find ourselves at this point… One hopes that these dialogues may produce some progress, but it seems to me that there is not much hope and not many expectations.”

Gratitude to Italy for attention to issues close to the Church’s heart

Cardinal Parolin also spoke of good relations with the Government in Rome.

He emphasized that during the bilateral meeting “there was above all an expression of thanks” on the part of the Holy See for the attention that the Government has given to many issues that are close to the Church’s heart."

Among the issues, the Cardinal cited, were "of a social nature, matters such as measures and provisions for the family, the issue of education, the issue of disability, the issue of prisons. Issues on which there are working groups that concern more directly the CEI [Italian Bishops' Conference] and on which progress has been made.

Editor- The Board of Peace, colloquially the Gaza peace board, was instituted by the controversial U.S President Donald Trump with the intention of devising means of bringing peace to the Gaza following the Israel genocide. It has now evolved into an international organization with the stated purpose of promoting peacekeeping around the world. Trump is its lifetime chairman. Worse still, it has no Palestinian input.

ACCPU Commits to Journey with Entire Church to Attain Ecological Conversion

 by Valerian Kkonde

ACCPU

 

Responding to the Cry of the Earth is a call to protect our common home for the well-being of all living creatures as we equitably address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

 

As Pope Francis’ landmark Encyclical - Laudato Si’- continues to inspire the world to take concrete actions to care for our common home, the Association of Catholic Communication Practitioners in Uganda (ACCPU) has decided to journey with the entire Catholic Church to devise means of attaining ecological conversion.

 

ACCPU made this commitment by enrolling with Laudato Si’ Action Platform on December 20, 2025. The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is the fruit of a unique collaboration between the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, nearly 200 Catholic organizations, and individuals from around the world.

 

This collaboration aims at accomplishing the mission of implementing Catholic teaching about caring for the environment. Laudato Si’ Action Platform prompts us to ponder essential questions like: How do we navigate conversations on environmental stewardship with those who view the world differently? How can I incorporate prayer into my sustainability practice? Where do I begin if I want to make a change?

 

In the Laudato Si’ Action Platform Annual Report 2025, H.E. Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J. the Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development called upon the faithful to remain focused on the journey to care for our common home.

 

“Let us continue walking together in faith. The Platform’s quiet strength lies in its resilience and adaptability to work in loving partnership to promote ecological conversion through attentive listening, sharing, and determined action, despite many global and local crises and challenges. These commitments go far beyond mere symbolic gestures—they are signs of a Church alive, credible, and courageous.”

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“I would like to invite everyone to tackle this journey together…Only in this way we will be able to create the future we want: a more inclusive, fraternal, peaceful, and sustainable world.” -Pope Francis in Laudato Si’

 

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On her part, Sr. Alessandro Smerilli F.M.A. urged the people to “continue this pilgrimage, listening to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, as we put the Gospel into action with courage and grace in every corner of the world.”

 

Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, is Secretary, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

 

ACCPU brings together individuals and groups of Catholic communicators in Uganda with a Vision of a united fraternity of Catholic communicators living and promoting Catholic values. Our Mission is to unite Catholic communication practitioners in Uganda for the promotion of evangelisation and integral human development.

 

ACCPU’s active members write, produce, manage and distribute media content in all forms. Members include both those working with the Catholic Church -founded media institutions and those working in the secular media. As Catholic communicators, the media of social communication, in all its expressions, is used for the glory of God and peace to all humanity.

 

 

Improving guardianship of natural areas is crucial to safeguarding Earth's ecosystems. Climate change is an increasingly serious driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.  Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

 

In this Encyclical, Pope Francis warns against the exploitation and destruction of the environment and invites every citizen of the world to view the environment as "a collective good, the heritage of all humanity, and the responsibility of all." Touched by this invitation, ACCPU took a decision to use the means of social communication, at our disposal, to respond to the ecological crisis.

 

The Laudato Si’ Action Platform has seven Goals which guide the actions of members. These include: response to the cry of the earth, response to the cry of the poor, ecological economics and adoption of sustainable lifestyles. Others are ecological education, ecological spirituality and community resilience and empowerment. These Goals call for a spiritual and cultural revolution to realize integral ecology.

 

A new Certificate of Commitment has been introduced to honour those institutions —parishes, schools, dioceses, and religious communities—“that persevere, in love and action, as living witnesses of care for our common home.”

 

The Association of Catholic Communication Practitioners in Uganda has decided to embark on fundraising for funds to be able to implement its plan. ACCPU plans to hold trainings for Catholic communicators on reporting about climate change so that they are equipped with knowledge and skills to open discussions with their audiences on this critical global challenge.

 

The trainings will be held on the Ecclesiastical Province level and twenty five communicators will be trained in every Province. We have four Ecclesiastical Provinces in Uganda. This will lead to a network of one hundred communicators equipped to address the ecological crisis in light of Laudato Si’ and the teaching of the Church. Equipped to combat climate change across the country, they will acquire a deeply felt duty to inform their audiences about a shift that is already overturning their lives.

 

 The communicators will also be able to hold government and other powerful actors to account. They will as well enable Christian communities know that we have a responsibility toward creation, and must assert this responsibility in the public sphere as well as in our daily lifestyle.

Given the prevailing circumstances, with many climate deniers and misuse of the media, it is crucial to provide correct information about Climate Change so as to counter mis/disinformation and indifference.

 

Most importantly, Catholic communicators will be guided on the Encyclical Laudato Si’ so that they can understand, appreciate its spirit and live it.

 

ACCPU will as well put in place an online magazine or platform. This will not only be a platform for our stories on climate change but will enable ACCPU to put to the fore front the Catholic Church’s teachings and social doctrine on the matters of environmental justice and the common good.

 

We further intend to bring on board radio programs depending on the availability of funds. Radio was the first social network.  Now, we plan to use social media to deepen audience relationships. We plan to increase engagement on-air and online, building loyalty and getting more people to listen for longer. Social media converts followers into listeners.

 

Social media plays a vital role in transforming people’s life styles. It has many positive implications, including promoting awareness of specific causes, advertising businesses and helping foster friendships between individuals who may have never met without social networking.

 

Laudato Si’ Action Platform Goals that speak to us most include: response to the cry of the earth, response to the cry of the poor, adoption of sustainable lifestyles, ecological education and community resilience and empowerment.

 

 

 

Witness to Martyrdom. It was under this tree in Munyonyo, in 1886, that the decision to sentence the future Uganda Martyrs to death was made. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

The state of the environment in Uganda meets the urgent call for action made by Pope Francis. It requires a concerted effort to implement the desired action for change. It is with this in mind that the Association of Catholic Communication Practitioners in Uganda has decided to organize trainings for Catholic communicators to ensure that they appropriately respond to the environmental crisis.

 

Uganda has mostly a tropical climate characterised by stable rainfall patterns. However, the effects of climate change have turned the seasons around with the country experiencing shorter or longer rains and harsher droughts- especially in the Eastern and North-Eastern Uganda.

 

According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda has experienced a significant decline in forest cover, with encroachment for agriculture, wood fuel, production, and other development pressures contributing to this loss.  The country is experiencing the effects of climate change, including changing rainfall patterns, increased droughts, and extreme weather events, impacting livelihoods and ecosystems.

 

The unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, including land and water, is leading to degradation and reduced ecosystem services. Environmental degradation is impacting the ability of ecosystems to provide essential services, contributing to poverty and hindering sustainable development.

 

NEMA also affirms that the state of our environment will determine the level of our prosperity now and for future generations. Over-exploitation of our natural resources is increasingly leading to environmental degradation and contributing to reduced ecosystem services and disasters. Reduced ecosystem services in turn contribute to poverty.

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“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us”. Pope Leo XIV

 

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NEMA is the principal agency responsible for environmental management, coordinating, monitoring, and supervising all activities related to the environment. They also play a key role in developing environmental policies, laws, regulations, and standards, guiding the government on sound environmental practices. 

 

Raising public awareness about environmental issues and promoting responsible environmental practices is crucial for achieving sustainable development. This is what ACCPU intends to do through this project to ensure that its members commit to act and to take personal and collective care.

 

Teaching on creation, ecology, and the poor are grounded in the Church’s deep history. In recent years St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and especially Pope Francis, have added a sense of urgency to their call for Catholics to act on climate change. This is how we have planned our response to the call to care for creation and care for the poor.

Museveni’s 40 Year- Rule is the Genuine Manifesto worth the Scrutiny - Part II

 by Valerian Kkonde

Pearl News Service

 

National Unity Platform Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu- also known as Bobi Wine- runs his campaigns on a promise of a new Uganda where rule of law and respect for human dignity prevail

 As demand for regime change intensifies, Museveni has been forced to drop all pretense at good governance and turn to the Museveni Protection Agencies to secure his hold on power. The army’s takeover of the electoral commission powers and the targeting of civilians all point to this desperation. So is the Buganda for Museveni Campaign.

 

The Buganda for Museveni campaign is NRM’s bid to reclaim mass support in the Buganda region. Buganda bore the greatest brunt of the guerrilla war that catapulted Museveni and cohorts to state power. Lives, livelihoods and properties were lost. But forty years later, all Buganda has to show is economic oppression, systematic environmental destruction and evil schemes to undermine the kingdom progress and pride.

 

As the guerrilla war came to the close, there was a quiet and systematic elimination of people from Buganda. They were seen as a threat much as they had played crucial roles in the success of the struggle. To this day key Baganda whether civilian or military, continue to disappear under suspicious circumstances which have come to be known as the “hand of the poisonous cup.”

 

To the chagrin of many, forty years later the region stands in shambles but regime puppets expect Buganda to be grateful any way. And there seems to be a deliberate plan to keep the region lagging behind, save for the extraordinary vigour of the Buganda government to be on top of the situation- “Buganda ku ntikko.”

 

Rosemary Namayanja, the deputy secretary general of NRM does not hide her disappointment with Buganda’s insistence that the NRM is plotting evil. For Namayanja, it is Museveni who single handedly restored the traditional institutions after their abolition by Milton Obote. Buganda maintains that the institution of the Kabaka was never a gift from Museveni but the outcome of their own blood.

 

The deputy secretary general of NRM is aware of the hostility towards the name Buganda that her party continues to display. In the first place, they claim that Kampala is not part of Buganda. NRM does not want the Buganda region to appear on the map and dictate that “Central region” be used to refer to Buganda! Why all this effort not be spent on poverty eradication?

 

Museveni has, unsuccessfully, tried to set up parallel unheard of traditional institutions simply to antagonize Buganda’s pride and destabilise the development programs being pursued. Indeed Museveni’s hatred saw the coming up of tittles like the Ssabanyala, Ssabaruli and Mwogezibutamanya. He even set up alternative traditional leaders in Kooki county.

 

The logical response to these maneuvers still remains: why does Museveni’s exceptional love for traditional institutions not extend to the Ankole kingdom which he has denied the opportunity to see the light of day?

 

The 2021 general elections were the climax of peoples’ anger and the explosion of the dynamite ignited by oppression, injustice and humiliation. The predatory NRM is horrible than Obote and is not working for Ugandans. People are paid peanuts and, coupled with the broken health and education systems, the result is unprecedented desire for regime change.

 

Government is occupying a number of the Buganda government facilities but paying occupation fees for these facilities often takes years in a deliberate attempt to starve the Kingdom of the finances to offer services to the people. Government owes Buganda kingdom at least 500 billion shillings!

 

The intended suffocation of the Kingdom has miraculously transformed it into a success story through the contributions of the people. With these meagre funds, education, health, agriculture, sustainable use of the environment and moral rehabilitation have been raised to standards that starkly compare with Museveni’s government policy prioritisation. The political will has been scrutinised and found lacking.

 

The robbery of 10 trillion shillings every year of tax-payer money will certainly triple when the oil taps begin to flow. At least 7 trillion shillings is expected every year from Uganda’s oil.

Among the most widely spoken languages in Uganda, Luganda comes first. Numerous novels and text books have also been written in Luganda and it is being taught even outside the Buganda region. But the Museveni government has not pretended about its love for the suffocation of the Luganda language.

 

When the Odoki commission was created to help establish the system of governance that the country preferred, it was evident that the whole country preferred federalism. In Buganda alone, over 80% categorically called for federalism. Museveni instead came up with a foreign and artificial system called decentralization. This too could not be allowed to fully function because it denied him the absolute power he yearns for.

Buganda region has 105 slots for members of parliament. With a population of 11,171,924 according to the National Population and Housing Census of 2024, each MP represents 106,399 people. Wakiso district has a population of 3,411,177 people while the Ankole sub region, with thirteen districts, has a population of 3,608,968. This alone reveals the deliberate policy to deny Buganda region appropriate representation at policy formation and decision-making level.

Nansana municipality has a population of 609,021. Kira municipality has a population of 396,189. But in the region where the rulers come from, the districts of Kiruhura has 203,502, Mbarara has 174,039 and Rwampara boasts of 162,967 people! Not counties or subcounties but districts.

There is nothing new that Museveni is capable of doing after forty years in power. Nothing. All Museveni can do is to keep promising that better days are ahead but none will surely be on the table. This is where the trouble begins; he clings on power while the country demands for change and better service delivery. In the long run he becomes melancholic, brutal and very insecure. He will hit at whatever dares cross his path.

Gen. Muhozi Kainerugaba with South Sudan President Salva Kiir

 Security agencies have turned into state-terror machines with their only preoccupation being entrenching Museveni in state power. Many regimes in Africa and the world over have trodden this path but with dire consequences. But Museveni and cohorts deceive themselves that they are very wise, have a lot of money to buy off any opposition and also have all the guns they need to keep themselves securely in power.

The old man with a hat unashamedly told the world that his soldiers each has 120 bullets. Such reckless and desperate statements have always preceded genocidal acts as in Rwanda, Sudan, Burundi and unfortunately Tanzania of recent.

By 1980 Luweero was Buganda’s economic backbone: numerous heads of cattle, coffee plantations and prosperity all over the region. All this was lost during the guerrilla war that brought Museveni to State Power. But forty years later, he has deliberately left the area in shambles.

Luweero can only boast of having borne the brunt of war and lost all in the name of bringing an end to primitive and savage regimes. In terms of sustainable development one needs a magnifying glass in order to the see the gains. The pineapples and mangoes that abound have not stirred the old man with a hat to bring a juice processing plant for the farmers. Even the roads, similar to sweet potatoes gardens, the broken and rotten health and education systems cannot move the rulers to act. All the hope and expectations that steered the armed struggle are long buried in the mass graves that adorn the triangle.

As if these are no insult enough, Museveni has refused to compensate the people for all they lost. Instead they are being forcefully displaced from their land by those with powerful connections to state power. As if to tell them that they are mere condoms!

Could this explain why, many factories in Luweero are constructed in wetlands? With ecosystems and surrounding environments destroyed, fauna and flora lost, the beauty of life in this area is forgotten once and for all. And when life becomes unbearable, what else is left for the inhabitants to be proud of? Nothing. Is it the yellow t-shits and caps and the empty promises that they should treasure instead?

 

After forty years in power does it even make sense for Museveni to go to the people of Luweero and make promises or give excuses? Does it make sense to vote for such people and whatever they represent? For how long do people have to wait for service delivery, sustainable peace and development?

 

It is only someone with mental challenges who can be surprised with the discontent with Museveni’s rule in Buganda. People are simply confronting injustices with courage.

 

On 18 and 19 November 2020 at least 50 people were summarily killed during presidential and parliamentary campaigns. Instead of compensating the victims, many more are being abducted, tortured and imprisoned without trial. Others have disappeared without trace for opposing the establishment! No different from Obote and Amin regimes.  

 

Claims of peace without justice are nonsense to say the least. You grab our land, deliberately make us poor, kill the institutions that would have worked for us and even rob us of the hard earned shillings and you have the guts to tell us that you are protecting the gains attained! This is a way of saying that you want to squeeze the few drops of sap remaining in us; meaning you are after our own life.

 

Museveni is not working for the common good. The flooding of the buildings in the business district, on October 31^st 2025, clearly brought out the greed, arrogance and insensitiveness of Museveni and cohorts. And to show they don’t care, the old man with the hat said that the illegal construction must continue. The sham investors like Ham and the rest are not making any positive contribution to the country; they are mere fronts being used by those in power to siphon the resources of the country. By now many have seen the determination to strike the oppressive blow as hard as it can hit. Accumulation of obscene wealth has to go on.

 

One year ago, people lost their lives and properties in Kiteezi due to the rampant robbery of public funds and resources. But nothing has been done to address the situation. This is one instance of turning Ugandans into refugees in their own country. Museveni and cohorts call it the peace that they brought.

 

Very unfortunate for Museveni, even those who would have brought that moral teaching, that moral voice into the regime have long given up or taken to feathering their nests. They have become complacent, grown comfortable with the status quo, whilst ignoring the call for justice, peace and reconciliation, which are the foundation for upholding the common good.

 

Forty years later it has been revealed that Museveni was just an imposter and opportunist who simply wanted a go at the presidency but did not wish the country well. He grabbed the presidency with a gun, has used the gun to remain in power and rather sees the country up in flames than let go the state power in a civilised exercise like voting.

 

As of June 2025, Uganda's public debt was UGX 116.2 trillion, representing 51.3% of its GDP. This figure consists of UGX 60.3 trillion in domestic debt and UGX 55.9 trillion in external debt. The total debt keeps increasing significantly from the previous year due to new borrowing to support the budget and the so called development programs. 

 

The 40 years of Museveni’s rule offer the best standard for weighing the true character of a man who wants to pass off as a patriot and freedom fighter. The forty-year rule has exposed a man who is ready to do anything to hold to power. The situation in which Uganda finds herself today is dire although many of the signs are not being given the attention they deserve.

 

The environmental degradation that the country is going through is one sign that is warning of dangerous times ahead. The forest cover is perishing at a supersonic speed. Wetlands, water sources and all the natural beauties are vanishing and at the hand of state-led greed and wickedness! To all these add the land-grabbing, poverty and the crippling of institutions and the true picture is complete. For Museveni and cohorts that is peace. These are the gains Ugandans are invited to protect!

 

When Museveni keeps boasting that he brought peace to Uganda, one just has to look at the dehumanising poverty, rotten health systems and the lack of respect for human values and try to figure out what exactly he means. Can there be peace amidst statelessness that is being brought about by land-grabbing, abductions and torture of political opponents? Can there be peace amidst the replacing of institutions with himself? How about the nepotism, tribalism and impunity that characterises his rule?

 

The moral decadence being witnessed in Uganda under Museveni is enough for anyone, with a conscience, to refuse any form of attachment to this evil regime.

 

Museveni has put in place a system which criminalises innocent people. Many are abducted, tortured, jailed without trial, some have disappeared while others have been killed in cold blood. The survivors who are lucky to face a judge, their cases collapse for lack of evidence.

He is promoting a model that does not create the same opportunities for everyone. Ugandans have a duty to take a stand where human dignity is trampled. This has to be carried out consistently and boldly.

 

Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira was abducted by the Museveni Protection Agencies in a manner similar to the dreaded regimes of Obote and Amin. How history repeats itself!

 The security agencies have long ceased to be so; they have been transformed into Museveni Protection Agencies. As such they are preoccupied with stifling human rights and freedoms that challenge Museveni’s continued grip on power.

 

Police and army are notorious for beating, torturing, abducting and killing members of the opposition. There is no doubt that all these are taking place because Museveni wants everything that way. The National Unity Platform presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has been subjected to all forms of humiliation- his supporters as well- as he mounts pressure on the old man with a hat in the campaigns.

 

The NUP presidential candidate has even been barred from campaigning is areas like Gulu, Fort Portal and Kiruhura. The formidable opposition put up by NUP has forced Museveni to abandon his pretense at democracy and rule of law. Police and army have not only come out to campaign for him but they also ferry NRM supporters to campaign venues in their trucks. In Entebe and Kamunga, Lt. Col. Mercy Tukahirwa, the commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU), has even had the guts to intimidate voters with ruining their livelihoods if they do not vote for Museveni! Talk of absolute power.

 

Article 208 of the 1995 Constitution states that the UPDF shall be nonpartisan but many soldiers, after the Commander of the Defence Forces- Gen. Muhozi Kainerugaba- are openly campaigning for Museveni. Captain Isaac Mugalu is seen campaigning in Ziroobwe and stupidly refers to Museveni as the god of this country. Yes, Uganda has degenerated to such levels!  

 

Museveni has not only run out of options and ideas but has become the problem for Uganda. And because life is about solving problems, then Museveni should be voted out of power at the earliest opportunity available. This is the civilised option that the Uganda constitution provides for regime change, but other ways, like the one he used, cannot be ruled out either especially when he replaces institutions with himself.

 

The scars of the 40-year rule are predatory systems, absolute power, promotion of hatred, selfishness, intolerance, authoritarianism and lack of integrity.

 

Lt. Col. Mercy Tukahirwa. The indiscipline displayed by an officer at this rank is testimony to the arrogance, impunity and incompetence at the core of Uganda’s institutions under Museveni.

 

The much taunted “socio-economic transformation, bankruptcy of religious sectarianism, political balkanization, regional integration, wealth creation and the four-acre model” are some of the high sounding slogans that have characterised the 40-year rule. Museveni looks very proud of them. But they are mere grandiose slogans with nothing to prove in reality.

 

Museveni is dividing the country into irreconcilable factions wrongly thinking that he, his family and cohorts are best protected that way. Africa’s dictators often slip into that sort of dreaming only to wake up when it is too late.

 

The artificial peace that Museveni boasts about has come at the expense of fundamental rights, including private and family life, freedom of conscience and information, and the right to a fair trial.

 

Museveni’s greed, indifference, selfishness, and violence have shattered the dreams of peace, hope and prosperity of young people. As a result Uganda faces political disputes, violations of fundamental human rights, robbery of public funds and resources, and loss of trust among citizens. The more Museveni clings to power the more these wounds bleed.

 

Ssebudde Kassim one of the National Unity Platform supporters who have been abducted, tortured and seen again alive. Many are missing without trace.

The crises he promised to resolve have, 40 years later, instead become more pronounced and grounded in the life of Uganda. The indiscipline being displayed by the UPDF and other Museveni protection agencies, exemplified by the Commander in Chief and the Chief of Defence Forces, amount to the incitement of hatred and violence. This is deliberate sowing of anarchy and extrajudicial acts so as to cling to state power. This explains why Museveni is proud of a peace that comes at the expense of human dignity.

 

In the ongoing suffering, oppression, injustices and robberies Ugandans are seeking relief and are determined to secure the relief through the ballot box. Museveni and cohorts must not be deceived that this system is incapable of bringing about the much desired change where those who do not want the change have all sorts of guns and money. It is one thing to have the guns and another to have the support and blessings of the country.

 

 

          “Injustice against Comrade Ssebudde Kassim

After more than two weeks under incommunicado detention and torture, our comrade Ssebudde Kassim was driven to Namboole in the dead of the night and dumped near Namboole Stadium.

He was abducted alongside comrade Eddie Mutwe, who was separated from them a day later. His story is not different from that of other victims — he was severely tortured, and upon release, ordered not to speak about his ordeal, otherwise they would kill him.

The cowardly regime is doing all this to silence us, but our voices must get louder and our actions stronger.” NUP PRESIDENT’S Statement ON ABDUCTIONS OF PARTY MEMBERS

 

Apart from Museveni and cohorts chanting that “Buganda for Museveni” they have arrogantly done nothing to address the concerns of the people. Soon after the 2021 elections, Masaka witnessed numerous murders at the hands of panga-wielding goons. The best the government did was to tell the residents that the murders were the result of electing people from the opposition. That is all the Internal affairs minister, Gen. Kahinda Otafire did!

 

As Museveni desperately asks Ugandans to vote for him, one gets the impression that if he had utilised well his forty years in power, he would not be using all this energy and resources; the time he has spent in state house all these decades should be able to speak for him. There is no doubt that the manifesto, documentaries and all the songs and slogans put together cannot speak better to the voters than the deeds of the four decades.

 

 Does Museveni, at his age, need to be taught that change is a fact of life! Change comes at its own timing, in different ways and for different reasons. But above all, change is irresistible.