Launched 3rd Busoga Prayer Week to cement cohesion, reconciliation

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JINJA - Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) in partnership with the Busoga Inter-Religious Council and the Busoga Kingdom has launched the preparations for the 3rd edition of the Busoga prayer week in order to continue cementing cohesion and reconciliation in Busoga.  

The 3rd edition of the Busoga prayer week was officially launched at the Civil Service College of Uganda in Jinja City on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) under the theme “Deepening Regional Cohesion as a Foundation for Sustainable Household Transformation”.

 According to the Director General of Busoga Consortium for Development, Anthony Mula, the purpose of the prayers is; to pray and give thanks to God for the great things he has done for Busoga citing an example of conducting a successful Royal Wedding and Busoga getting the Inhebantu; and to dedicate before God the plans that have been laid out by BCD for the transformation of Busoga sub-region.

“You may recall in 2020 we launched a 10-year Busoga Development Agenda (BDA) and this agenda seeks to transform Busoga into a modern and prosperous sub-region of Uganda. So far, we have started off the implementation of this agenda and we are running the 3rd year,” Mula explained, adding that it is a practice that every year they dedicate that plan before the Lord during the prayer week.

Mula said the prayers are going to take place for a week-long period starting from October 14th to October 20th, 2024 and are dedicated to praying, fasting and seeking divine intervention for Busoga sub-region’s challenges.

He added that the prayers are also aimed at bringing political unity, harmony, and development to the region.

The Director General of Busoga Consortium for Development Anthony Mula addresses guests while at the launch of the 3rd edition of the Busoga prayer week at Civil Service College of Uganda in Jinja City. (Credit: Donald Kiirya)

• Prayers start on October 14th, 2024 at St. Andrews Church-Bukoto
• October 15th Bishop Hannington Suubi of East Busoga diocese will lead prayers at their cathedral in Naluwerere in Bugiri
• On October 16th, Catholic prayers will be conducted at Rubaga Cathedral in Jinja diocese and will be led by Bishop Charles Martin Wamika 
• On October 17th, prayers will be conducted at the Orthodox at the Holy Resurrection Church in Jinja by His Grace Sylvester Kisitu  
• On October 18th, Muslim prayers will be conducted at Bugembe stadium 
• On October 18th evening  prayers will be conducted by Pentecostals from Busoga 
• The Seventh Day Adventist prayers will be conducted on October 19th at their church at Mailo Mbili in Jinja 
• Mula noted that prayers will be climaxed on October 20th at Luuka district ceremonial grounds 

Presiding over the launch at Civil Service College in Jinja, the Minister for Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda, in her speech read by Luuka South legislator Stephen Kisa Bakubalwayo, said the prayers will involve all religious denominations under the Inter-Religious Council led by Busoga diocesan Bishop Samson Paul Naimanhye and these include; Anglican, Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox, Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) and Born-Again faiths who will lead prayers on designated days of the week.

Babalanda added that the choice of this year’s theme was based on the set BCD targets that seek to build economically harmonious and prosperous households of Busoga through the piloting of the Village Agricultural Model (VAM) initiative as a framework for unpacking the 10-year Busoga Development Agenda (BDA).

She called upon the people of Busoga to embrace the theme through their full participation in this year’s Busoga Prayer Week for the purposes earlier articulated. 

Stephen Kisa, the Luuka South Member of Parliament was unanimously appointed by members of the Inter Religious Council to become the chairperson of the organising committee of the Prayer Week, together with Busoga Kingdom’s first deputy prime minister Prof. Dr. Muhamadi Lubega Kisambira as the co-chairperson.