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ARUA - The Office of the President, through the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity, has urged religious leaders and Faith-Based Organisations in West Nile to spearhead efforts to rebuild ethical values.

The appeal was made during a two-day engagement training organised by the directorate with the religious leaders of West Nile on the promotion of a value-based Ugandan Society at Heritage Courts in Arua city.

According to the officials, Uganda’s failure to recognise the need for values and thus the need for a national culture has for a long time denied consistent growth and political certainty.

This, they say, has repeatedly caused incidents of in-group favoritism, sectarianism, out-group discrimination, ethnic and political tensions, cultural conflicts, and consequently political turmoil.

However, in 2013, the National Ethical Values Policy (NEVP) was launched in Uganda.

The Directorate of Ethics and Integrity (DEI) developed the National Ethical Values Policy, which draws its strengths from the national anthem and the national motto — For God and My Country.

The main objective of the policy is to promote and preserve the rich cultural identity and values of Uganda in order to enhance national development within a harmonious environment.

Bwangamoi emphasized the need for religious leaders to spearhead the rebuilding of the ethical values owing to the broken down value systems in the country leading to rampant corruption and misconduct among others. (All Photos by Robert Adiga)

During the engagement with the Faith-Based Organisations, directorate permanent secretary Alex Okello Bwangamoi emphasized the need for religious leaders to spearhead the rebuilding of the ethical values owing to the broken down value systems in the country leading to rampant corruption and misconduct among others.

“The broken down values in our society are the point of concern and we account for the failure of the values, the corruption, the misbehavior in schools and society are the result of broken down values, it is human behaviors and the people who can correct human mind are the faith-based organization because you cannot take the human mindset change to the engineers of UNRA but the religious leaders so that is the reason we want them to be at the forefront,” Okello said.

First deputy Supreme Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Ali Waiswa assured of the commitment by the religious leaders under the umbrella of Inter-Religious Council to reclaiming the lost national values through dialogue saying religions are custodians of conduct as worshipping without character is useless.

“We have had the initiative to call on the nation to rebuild national values through national dialogue and what the directorate is doing is to enhance that dialogue and we have even written a pastoral letter enhancing voice and action of integrity and ethical conduct in the fight against corruption and partly is what the directorate is doing and character is built at faith-based organisation and ant religion that does not address character is not faith based,” Said Sheikh Waiswa.

The archdeacon Arua Archdeaconry in Madi-Westnile Diocese, the Venerable Alber Limio Avie, said Uganda is built on foundation that needs to be shaped morally adding that partnering with government is the right thing to do though acknowledging that, the intervention is rather late since the foundation has been broken through immorality.

“Uganda is built on foundation and it is a very good though it came a bit late in our nation Uganda corruption is not sitting on the table of the residents corruption starts in families and the people who are corrupt come from our families and communities so we need to start from down because when the foundation is broken, what can the righteous do”, Ven, Alber Avie said.

Yumbe district-based Queen of Heaven parish priest, the Rev. Fr. Jimmy Apangu, who is also the dean of Lodonga Deanery, commended the Government, through Directorate of Ethics, for the involvement of religious leaders in the fight against moral degeneration in the country since the churches are the conscious of the citizens by providing checks and balances.