Born-agains to get license for starting churches

By Alfred Byenkya

Born-again Christians have joined the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda.

The council was established in 2001 to bring together different religious denominations to address issues of common interest. It’s affiliated to the World Council of Religions for Peace (WCRP) and the African Council of Religious leaders (ACRL).

 In Uganda, its membership is comprised of Muslims, Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Seventh-day Adventists.

Pastor Joseph Sserwadda told a news conference in Kampala that the development means that they have attained a status to register Pentecostal churches.


He said that they have been lobbying government to stop registering Pentecostal churches as charities because government doesn’t have the ability to vet pastors.


“All pastors who want to register Churches should now come to us if they want an operating license. All those who will register them as Non-governmental organizations (NGO’S) and the ministry of internal affairs will do it at their own risk,” he said.

Sserwadda said registering churches as NGO’s is the reason why there is an increasing number of fake pastors in the country.

On February 14, 2006, leaders of the born-again Federation while praying at Mandela National stadium asked the Inter-religious council to recognize them as a distinct faith and also requested that churches be stopped from operating as NGO’s.