President Museveni has urged religious leaders to encourage households to engage in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT, as Mayuge leaders pledged to protect contested church land.
President Museveni has urged religious leaders to encourage Ugandans to engage in income-generating activities, saying households must move beyond working only to meet their immediate needs if they are to escape poverty.
Museveni said Christians should regard household poverty as a challenge they must work to overcome, arguing that the rising cost of meeting everyday needs makes it increasingly difficult for families to survive without reliable sources of income.
His message was delivered by Dunstan Balaba, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity, to pilgrims attending celebrations in honour of St Matia Mulumba at Kyebando in Mayuge Town Council, Mayuge District.
Museveni urged religious leaders to guide their congregations towards four areas of economic activity: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and information and communications technology (ICT).
He also pledged to provide Ugandans with security and essential public services, including roads, schools and healthcare, saying these were necessary to support their economic activities.
Balaba said the President had assured him that concerns raised by the Church would be addressed in the coming financial year. He promised to convey the Church’s message to Museveni the following week.
At the same event, Mayuge District chairperson David Ziija assured Christians that district authorities were taking an interest in the dispute over land belonging to the St Matia Mulumba Church.
Ziija said the authorities planned to organise meetings between the church leadership and Mayuge Town Council officials to discuss the contested land and find a resolution.
He also apologised to Archbishop Emmanuel Obbo over attacks by locals on Christians who were carrying out construction work on the disputed land. Some of the Christians were reportedly injured in the incident.
Ziija said trees had been planted on the land about 60 years ago and questioned why those now claiming it had not raised the matter earlier.
“No one will be allowed to grab their land, but we are holding a meeting to discuss the matter and it will be resolved,” Ziija said.
Archbishop Obbo, the Archbishop of Tororo and Apostolic Administrator of Jinja Diocese, presided over the Mass and expressed concern about unrest within families.
He urged Christians to emulate St Matia Mulumba by trusting in God, remaining steadfast in their faith and treating others with kindness.
Obbo said Mulumba, a Musoga from the area, was among the Ugandan martyrs whose lives exemplified devotion to Christianity. He urged pilgrims to follow the saint’s example in their daily lives.
According to Obbo, Mulumba was taken to Buganda at the age of 10 after being abducted. He later embraced different religious traditions before becoming a Christian and ultimately dying for his faith.
The Archbishop said people visit the pilgrimage site to seek miracles and dedicate their lives to God. He also referred to Mulumba’s family life, saying the saint had several wives but eventually remained with and married one woman.
Obbo recounted the brutal torture Mulumba endured at the hands of his executioners, who cut off parts of his body and burned them before his eyes. The injuries eventually left him unable to walk.
He urged Christians to respond to the example of the martyrs by doing good to their neighbours, showing kindness to those around them and helping people in need.
St Matia Mulumba is among Uganda’s Catholic martyrs, whose witness to the Christian faith continues to draw pilgrims to sites associated with their lives and deaths.