Clergy warned on accountability

By Oyet Okwera & Dismus Buregyeya

Bishop Godfrey Makumbi of West Buganda Diocese has advised the clergy to be exemplary on matters of transparency and accountability discipline.

Makumbi observed that some churches are facing accountability failures because some church staff submit fake accountability receipts.

He was addressing a one-week training recently on rights based approach organised by Finn Church Aid for its Partners in Uganda at Zebra hotel in Masaka.

This training was attended by staff of Finn Church for its partners and others under the theme of rights-based approach to development.

Makumbi talked of how some priests in parishes have resisted from transferring elsewhere because of church development projects.

"Some of our priests want to go with the projects when we reshuffle them. They start meddling in the project constitution and administration for their selfish interests. You cannot change the project designed for specific communities," he said.

According to Makumbi, failure to account for funds demoralizes the donors and damages the image of the government.

Citing financial mess in Office of the Prime Minister in which some public officers were dismissed, Makumbi observed that greed and corruption tendencies were frustrating development projects.

He said there is need for government to learn to accept positive criticism especially when they have gone wrong.

“I want to thank Finn Church Aid for organizing this important training for its partners in which Church of Uganda, planning, development and rehabilitation department is one of them,” said Makumbi.     

He noted that on human rights, women are most oppressed and urged leaders to restrain from harassing women.

Wycliffe Nsheka, the rights-based approach regional coordinator said there is need to empower marginalized communities, and urged leaders to ensure that human rights are adhered to in combating poverty and injustice.

The rights-based approach, he said, is intended to empower specific community-based organizations (CBOs) to help Ugandans by complementing on government responsibilities.