Greater North bishops condemn vote buying, call for electoral integrity

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Anglican bishops overseeing dioceses in the Greater Northern region of Uganda have strongly condemned vote buying and the widespread vote rigging reported in both inter-party and national general elections.

The remarks were part of recommendations emerging from a two-day interactive meeting attended by six Anglican bishops from the Greater North.

The meeting was chaired by Rev. Prof. Dr Alfred Olwa, Bishop of the Diocese of Lango. Other attendees included Rev. Pons Ozele Awinjo, Bishop of the Diocese of Nebbi; Rev. Colins Andaku, Bishop of Madi and West Nile; Rev. Julius Caesar Nina Otim, Bishop of the Diocese of West Lango; Rev. Godfrey Loum, Diocesan Bishop of Northern Uganda; and Rev. Wilson Kitara, Bishop of the Diocese of Kitgum.

Invited bishop emeritus guests included the retired Bishop of Lango Diocese, Rev. Alfred Acur Okodi; the retired and first Bishop of the Diocese of Kitgum, Rev. McLeod Baker Ochola II; and the sixth and seventh retired bishops of the Diocese of Northern Uganda, Rev. Nelson Onono-Onweng and Rev. Johnson Gakumba, respectively.

Also present were the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Dr Kenneth Omona Olusegun, and the secretary general of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Dr Richard Todwong.

The meeting was held at The Kacoke-Madit Hotel in Koro, Gulu City, beginning on Friday, August 8 and concluding on Saturday.

Political integrity and electoral reforms

Rev. Dr Olwa stated: “The bishops of the Greater-Northern decry the practice of vote-buying. We also strongly urged politicians, electorates or voters and all Ugandans to desist and resist any acts or elements of vote rigging. We also advise the multi-party leaders in the country not to award the party flags to candidates who are unfit to lead the parties into success and Uganda into good governance with democracy”, the bishops stated in an under-signed statement.

Dr Olwa told the press that such practices seriously threaten the moral and democratic fabric of Uganda.

As part of immediate action points, the bishops recommended that: “Political parties must enforce transparency, accountability in all forms and deploy merit in selecting their leaders, some already concluded, especially in the forthcoming 2026 general polls in the country, said the bishops.”

Dr Olwa added that the Church, as an independent spiritual institution, would work with the government, especially the national electoral body, to intensify civic education. This would aim to promote the election of leaders with integrity, competence, consistency, and humility, who are committed to serving with righteousness of heart.

NRM secretary general’s remarks

Dr Todwong praised the Church in the Greater North for its outstanding organisation of this year’s Uganda Martyrs’ Day prayers, held on June 3, 2025, at Namugongo Anglican National Shrine.

“On behalf of the NRM ruling Party and the government of Uganda, I would also like to add my voice to acknowledge and thank the Church of Uganda under the leadership of the Archbishop, The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kazimba Mugalu.

In a special way, I thank the bishops under the Greater-Northern dioceses led by the bishop of the Diocese of Northern Uganda, Rt Rev. Godfrey Loum, Rev. Prof. Dr Alfred Olwa and all the bishops for the high level of leadership they provided,” said Todwong.

On NRM political elections, Todwong expressed regret over any irregularities that may have occurred during the party’s nationwide primaries.

He pledged to address these concerns with the seriousness they deserve, aiming to improve the integrity of future inter-party electoral processes.

“I would like to note all the contributions that the Church of Uganda leadership, the Roman Catholic Church and others contribute in correcting and building the country. We therefore pledge to work very closely with the Church leadership,” Todwong added.

Mindset change

The bishops also addressed the pressing issue of social change in Northern Uganda, which they urged the government to confront.

“The issues in northern Uganda require urgent ‘mind-set’ shift and competent leadership at all levels.”

Dr Olwa urged the government to combat attitudes of dependency, laziness and entitlement, which he said must be addressed urgently by the central government to help the region recover from the devastating effects of decades-long conflict.

The bishops proposed joint campaigns for mindset transformation, to be led by the Church with central government support. They further recommended leadership capacity-building workshops for religious, civic and political leaders, to encourage reflection on issues of mindset change and development in Northern Uganda.

While acknowledging government efforts in rebuilding the north, the bishops noted that many projects had failed to achieve their intended impact because the Church was not sufficiently involved in their implementation.

At the opening of the conference, Dr Omona pledged the government’s commitment to working closely with the Church.

He affirmed that the government remained dedicated to supporting Church activities aimed at rebuilding the Greater North, which suffered the destruction of over 20 years of rebellion under the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other past conflicts in Lango, Acholi and West Nile.