The Police in Kumi Sunday foiled attempts by a section of Christians in Kumi Diocese to install Reverend Charles Okunya as their bishop.

St-Philip Cathedral in Ngora, where the function was scheduled to take place, was blocked after Police was deployed to prevent a section of Okunya's supporters from accessing the church.

East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson told New Vision that they were safeguarding the church against two clashing parties.

Ageca said they had received a letter from one Silvanus Isiagi informing them of their plans to hold prayers commemorating the election of Rev. Okunya as the bishop of Kumi Diocese.

Rev. Okunya’s case

The election of Rev. Okunya was cancelled by the House of Bishops after it emerged that Okunya forged his year of birth.

His attempt to seek redress from courts of law also failed when justice Musa Ssekana dismissed that case.

In his 20-page ruling, Justice Ssekana concurred with the House of Bishops decision to revoke Rev. Okunya’s appointment after ascertaining that he had not made the mandatory age requirement of 45 years in 2019.

“The plaintiff (Okunya) at the time of his nomination was not qualified to be elected a bishop of Kumi since he had not yet made the mandatory age requirement of 45 years,'' the judge said in his ruling.

The judge noted that when Rev. Okunya wanted to stand for election as a Bishop, only three days before the election, he swore a statutory declaration to indicate that he made a mistake when he was registering for his National Identity Card.

“The plaintiff's life within the Church of Uganda as clergy was premised on information he availed at the time while joining and this was categorically reflected as November 23, 1975. This fact is not in dispute, but the plaintiff now wishes to alter his date of birth by claiming that the actual date of birth earlier indicated on all his documents was a mistake or an error,” the ruling read in part.

“The act of altering the date of birth three days to being nominated as a Bishop becomes very suspicious, and it is not an innocent act by the plaintiff, and I would agree with the defendant’s counsel that it was indeed fraudulent,” the judge ruled.

Christians on Sunday were barred from accessing church.

Ageca says that they have arrested 51 people in connection to that incident.