Pastors told not waste followers' time

Jun 09, 2016

Food insecurity has hit the district forcing people to have only one meal a day

Pastors in Busia district have been advised to reduce on the time they hold their followers in churches to allow them engage in productive activities. 

The Busia Resident District Commissioner, Kennedy Adhola Otiti, said most churches waste their followers' time during long prayers and crusades and therefore denying them chance to work. 

The RDC consequently appealed to the pastors to integrate and embrace government development programmes with their church activities. 

Otiti was disappointed to note that many people spend time in churches and only return home to starve because they cannot afford to feed their families.

Food insecurity, Otiti said, had hit the district forcing people to have only one meal a day yet they have abundant uncultivated land. 

Otiti was on Wednesday meeting with over 200 Pentecostal church pastors at Elimu Church in Busia town.

He asked the pastors to mobilize their followers to embrace Operation Wealth Creation, take their children to school and for immunization. 

"The fight against poverty should have it roots here in the church because you deal with the people on daily basis and they believe in you so your work is only to tell them what to do," Otiti said. 

He said most church programmes had stalled because they lead poor people that cannot pay reasonable offertory and tithe to support God's work. 

He also asked the pastors to register their churches and implement the work plans stipulated in the constitution. 

He told the pastors that the registration was important because government has to know who they are and what they do.

Pastor Martin Egessa of Faith Foundation Ministries however, challenged the RDC to tell them where to register saying the NGO Forum does not register faith based organizations. 

"Whenever we go to Kampala they always refer us back," Egessa said. 

Bishop James Tenzimana of Church Of God Of Prophecy said doing farming in the district was a nightmare to many people because of some residents who leave their livestock to stray and destroy the gardens a concern he said local leaders had failed to address. 

He said children and thieves also have failed faming because they steal perennial crops like oranges and coffee leaving the farmers to count loses. 

Bishop Moses Barasa the chairperson Busia District Pastor's Forum said Pentecostal churches in the district despite some being not registered have not been involved in subversive activities. 

He said the church was ready to work with government workers leading development programmes and said his group was ready to work with Operation Wealth Creation officers. 

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