Freshly retired Bishop Niringiye urges President to follow suit

By Abou Kisige

The assistant bishop of Kampala Diocese, Zac Niringiye, has retired seven years before his scheduled retirement.

Born on April 30, 1954 in Kisoro, Niringiye was consecrated assistant Kampala bishop in January 2005 at the age of 51. Bishops in the Church of Uganda are supposed to retire at 65, but Niringiye has retired at 58.

“I want to thank the church, Ugandans, the Christian community and the clergy, especially the Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, for allowing me to serve the lord in almost every capacity,” Niringiye said amid cheers from the congregation.

He made the remarks during his last summon at All-Saints Cathedral in Nakasero yesterday.

Niringiye called on Christians to advocate for peace, accountability, justice and better leadership.

“I have pride in President Yoweri Museveni because of his tremendous achievements in the development of the country and peace building. But I request him to retire honourably to protect his achievements,” he said.

Niringiye described his former boss, Archbishop Orombi, as a perfect shepherd who registered growth and development for the cathedral during his seven-year reign.

While blessing Niringiye, Orombi said: “The bishop knows his journey very well. With prayer, he will succeed in his endeavours.”

Niringiye holds a PhD in theology and mission history from Edinburgh University, a master’s degree in theology from Wheaton College, US, and a bachelor of science degree in physics from Makerere University.

He was ordained deacon in the diocese of Muhabura in 1995, but attached to All Saints Cathedral in Kampala.

In 1996, he was ordained priest and was assigned chaplain of the Muhabura diocese community.

He is a founder and proprietor of Relate Communications, a Christian organisation, which was the publisher of Relate Magazine.

Besides his pastoral duties, Niringiye heads the African Peer Review Mechanism (Uganda Chapter), which assesses the performance of African leaders.