The Elders Are God's Creation; Are They Not?

The bishops of Church of Uganda gathered at the multi-million dollar presidential palace in the dirt-poor nation of Uganda—a nation which depends on nearly fifty percent of its national budget from its colonial master and associates.

First of all, Uganda has no state religion. Why then “Church of Uganda?” Some wonk once stated that how you phrase a thing or an event matters. So, is it surprising then that a rogue scholar would opine that the British couldn’t have allowed the Catholic Kiwanuaka to become the first independence prime minister? According to him the protestant Anglican Britain engineered the cynical disenfranchising of the Buganda populace by allowing the corrupted selection of Buganda MPs by the Lukiiko (parliament) of Buganda. This move essentially chopped DP’s legs in Buganda, giving a leg up for the protestant-leaning UPC in alliance with the protestant dominated Kabaka Yekka(KY) to win. Thereafter the Anglican Church became Church of Uganda. Wink, wink, wink!

Back to our bishops: here they were paying homage to the president, a son of a savedee mother and married to a savedee woman—enough cover to fool the gullible. The bishops blessed the president and minister wife, and at the same time brown-nosing him as they congratulated him for his piety. You want to hold your nose!

Nobody ever faulted Museveni for his adept at using symbolism. Here were a dozen or so old men—princes of the church—trooping like schoolboys to the headmaster’s office to be lectured on how to be self-sufficient. The bewildered peasantry sees that in terms of boss and subjects, as well as an endorsement by the church. That is the subliminal message of the whole exercise.

The bishops are the spiritual leaders of their church. That is a very grave responsibility not to be taken lightly. It is a sagacious office that carries weight. It can shift gravity. In obsequiously herding themselves to the presidential palace rather than have the president make a trip to their gathering, the bishops have done the nation a disservice and served mammon. What would Rabbi Jesus have done?

To add insult to injury, the bishops’ head honcho deplored our penchant for dissing elders since “elders were created by God.” Supposedly, isn’t everyone? Bling, bling, bling!

You cannot force respect—fear may be—, but you earn it. What have the elders done on their watch for the last forty plus years? They have sent the country to the dogs with intrigues, murders, theft and, even today people are anxious about what tomorrow will bring. Look at that lonesome woman stranded in Museveni’s camp in Acoli. By their one act the bishops have shown how unskillful they are in the use of their power. They effectively endorsed the status quo. Respect? No way Jose'. Nada!