Luwalira summons clerics to crisis meet over sex scandals

RELIGION   ANGLICAN  SCANDALS  

KAMPALA - The Bishop of Namirembe Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira has summoned all the clerics and their spouses for a crisis meeting relating to the sex scandals rocking the diocese.

Luwalira's move came after it emerged that another city priest had allegedly sired a child out of wedlock. This was after the suspension of the Rev. Ronald Kalende a few weeks ago over a sex scandal.

On Monday, it was revealed that a paternity Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test had confirmed that Kazo Church of Uganda priest, Kalende had a child with his church choir pianist, 23-year-old Perusi Serena Nabirye.

New Vision learnt yesterday that Luwalira a few days ago ordered the diocesan secretary, the Rev. Cannon Kaweesa, to suspend another cleric who is alleged to have sired a child out of wedlock. The priest is based in Kabusu, according to inside sources.

The office of the bishop of Namirembe Diocese yesterday ran radio announcements summoning all clerics — archdeacons, reverends, deacons and catechists as well as their spouses to come for a "must-attend" crisis meeting at Namirembe at 10:00 am. 

The announcement emphasised that only the sick or those at educational institutions who require express permission to be away from the institutions were exempted from attending the meeting.

The priests who are under suspension were also asked to stay away from the crisis meeting. 

Sources said the bishop at first summoned the clerics alone. Later, he instructed that the clerics come to the meeting with their spouses.

Sources told New Vision that the priest suspended this week had sired the child out of wedlock but lied to his wife that the child was from a Muslim family. 

"He took the child home and told his wife that they should adopt the child. He claimed the child was from a Muslim family. But the wife didn't swallow the lie and decided to complain to the bishop," sources say. They added that since Kalende's saga surfaced, the bishop has received numerous complaints about his clerics involved in scandalous behaviour.

Kalende was suspended after he met the Minister of State Minister for Children and Affairs Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi and admitted siring a child with Nabirye.

However, New Vision learnt that even after meeting with the minister, Kalende insisted on a DNA test.

The DNA test was conducted last week and the results conclusively showed that Kalende is the biological father of Perusi Nabirye's baby, Israella Reign Mirembe.

"In all the 22 analysed loci of the STR system, a matching allele was detected between Kalende and Israella Mirembe Reign. Therefore, Kalende can be considered as the biological father of Mirembe and by no means can he be excluded," the report states.

The results were on Monday released by the lab administrators to Rev. Emmanuel Ssewanyana, the Archdeacon of St Stephen's Kazo reportedly on behalf Kalende. Also present was the mother of the child, Nabirye.

Kalende had allegedly disowned the child and instead accused his colleague Rev. Julius Matovu of Jjungo parish, of being responsible for the child.

Both Kalende and Matovu were suspended as a consequence.

As the child saga raged, Kalende went ahead with the invite-only introduction ceremony and later a wedding with Elusah Ssanyu Namuyige. The couple took their vows at St Paul's Cathedral, Namirembe on January 17, but Bishop Luwalira who earlier was expected to preside over the ceremony didn't attend.

Namuyige is a daughter of the Rev. Daniel Sserumbaawo.

In December last year, the House of Bishops, the Church of Uganda's top organ, stopped the consecration of the Rev. Charles Okunya Oode, the Bishop-elect of Kumi diocese, with only two weeks to the event.

Preparations for the consecration were in an advanced stage, with the invitation cards ready when the decision to cancel the event was taken by the House of Bishops on Saturday during a meeting held at Boroboro in Lango.

The Kumi bishop-elect is under investigations by the House of Bishops following a petition against him by a section of Christians from the diocese over matters relating to his marriage.

Consequently, Bishop Thomas Edison Irigei was forced to hand over the office to Archbishop Stanley Ntagali who named a caretaker bishop pending investigations into Okunya Oode.

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