Scrutinise income sources of generous members, Teso clerics told

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The ethics and integrity ministry has urged religious leaders in Teso region to scrutinise the sources of funding for large donations made to churches and mosques.

Ministry under-secretary Joel Wanjala emphasised that religious institutions, as custodians of human values, should examine the income sources of their followers who make substantial donations.

This appeal comes amid rising corruption cases in the country, where individuals in leadership positions abuse their offices and donate stolen wealth to churches and mosques, seeking blessings and praise.

The Inspectorate of Government recently revealed that over shillings nine trillion is lost to corruption annually.

Wanjala questioned the practice of accepting lavish donations without questioning their origin.

“A person can offer a church a [Toyota] Landcruiser worth shillings 120 million but the priest or Sheik is unable to ask where they got the money for buying such a vehicle [from],” Wanjala said.

He warned that accepting such donations without scrutiny can have a multiplier effect on the younger generation, who may view corruption as acceptable if it leads to praise and admiration.

He urged religious leaders not to glorify individuals with unclear sources of wealth.

He made the remarks on Tuesday, June 10, 2025,  while opening a two-day engagement with religious leader’s faith organisations in Teso on promoting national ethical values within their structures, with a focus on families, youth and children.

Religious leaders acknowledged the challenge, with the Rev. Can. Aaron Mwesigye, the director for ethics and religious affairs, attributing it to a "rotten society" that can swallow up even the most well-intentioned individuals.

“I think society is rotten, the priests are part of the society and it's hard for them to escape it, but I think it's not too late because once they realize their calling they will always come up and is the reason we are here to wake them up,” Mwesigye said.

The Rev. Fr. Samuel Ebietu blamed people for not taking religious teachings seriously and appealed to Christians to instil good values in their children.

“People have taken sin as something normal! It takes back to the family being the first church, maybe they have not taken so much interest in forming the children at an early age,”  Ebietu said.