Museveni pledges to partner with churches to uplift Luwero

LUWERO - President Yoweri Museveni has pledged to continue partnering with churches in the greater Luwero region to improve the living standards of communities in the former war zone.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Vice President Jessica Alupo during celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Luwero Anglican Diocese, the President urged churches to encourage their congregants to aspire to better lives through engaging in profitable enterprises.

"A relevant ministry is one that encourages the believers to aspire and work towards achieving decent and improved living standards," Museveni said.

He advised Christians to strive for both spiritual fulfilment and physical well-being, warning that neglecting earthly responsibilities could result in continued poverty and backwardness.

"In the process of working for heaven, some faithful become negligent about their earthly responsibilities and thereby end up perpetuating and entrenching socio-economic backwardness and poverty in their respective families and societies," he said.

Museveni stressed the importance of balancing spiritual values such as prayer, worship, and scripture study with meeting physical needs to achieve a happy, fulfilling, and productive life.

He listed basic physical needs, including food, water, shelter, medicine, schools, hospitals, transport, and employment.

The President called on Christians to emulate Jesus Christ, whom he described as a role model for both spiritual devotion and economic productivity.

Quoting the Bible, Museveni noted that Jesus not only fasted, prayed, and healed, but also earned a living working alongside his father, Joseph, as a carpenter.

He urged churches to support believers, many of whom are still engaged in subsistence farming, to transition into commercial and modern agriculture, becoming wealth creators and job providers.

Museveni commended the Luwero Anglican Diocese for partnering with the government in advancing the socio-economic transformation of Luwero and Uganda at large.

The function also featured a fundraising drive towards the construction of a diocesan synod building, to which Museveni pledged sh50 million.

Vice President Alupo delivered sh30 million on behalf of the government and also made a personal pledge of sh20 million.

Katikamu North MP, Denis Sekabira, contributed 100 bags of cement towards the project.

Luwero Anglican Bishop, Rt Rev Wilson Kisekka, said the planned synod building would require sh2 billion to complete.