Selection of a New Bishop for West Buganda Marred by Controversies, Battles. The Church of Uganda in the West Buganda diocese is embroiled in yet another bitter disagreement pitting the clergy against Christians over the alleged intrigues surrounding the search for a new bishop.
The disagreements are threatening the process of choosing a potential replacement for Bishop Henry Katumba Tamale who will retire in March on clocking the age cap of 65 years.
The misunderstandings are manifesting in the form of protest letters and petitions against the three candidates that the Diocesan Nominations Committee had submitted to the House of Bishops for consideration.
Early this month, the Committee selected three names, Reverend Canon Moses Kayimba currently serving as Diocesan Secretary, Reverend Canon Patrick Ssimbwa the Archdeacon of Sembabule Archdeaconry and Reverend Canon Gaster Nsereko the Archdeacon of Kakoma Archdeaconry in Lwengo district, which were submitted to the Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat.
However, a fortnight ago, the secretariat turned down the nominations and ordered that the vetting be repeated, following a petition by whistleblowers who complained that the process was manipulated by selfish elements within the diocesan administration.
The anonymous petitioners contested the nomination of Reverend Canon Nsereko arguing that his name was sneaked onto the final list yet it was never vetted at the level of the diocesan synod, where the process for the search of a bishop begins.
They accuse the retiring Bishop Henry Katumba of using his office to interfere with the search process, allegations he has since denied.
Despite the raised objections, the vetting committee resubmitted the list to the Provincial secretariat, after they dismissed the allegations of the petitioners as baseless rumours.
In the meantime, another Christian identifying herself as Naume Namakula a resident of Lwemiyaga sub-county in Sembabule district has also petitioned the vetting committee, demanding that it withdraws Reverend Canon Ssimbwa’s name for alleged involvement in extramarital affairs.
In her petition, Namakula alleges that Canon Ssimbwa does not qualify to become a bishop, accusing him of fathering a child with her and later neglecting his paternal responsibility of fending for the child leading to death in 2016.
She appealed to the vetting committee to forward her complaints to the Provincial Secretariat, as a basis to disqualify Canon Ssimbwa from the list of probable candidates for bishop. Notably, the Church of Uganda canons strictly prohibits any candidate involved in extramarital affairs from becoming a bishop.
The canons spell automatic disqualification of any candidate whose nomination is found to be stained with procedural anomalies that include among others; bribery, blackmail and any form of influence peddling to his direct advantage.
Meanwhile, a member of the vetting committee who preferred to remain anonymous reveals that their current situation places the diocese in a very critical dilemma that threatens the sanctity of the Church.
Apparently, according to him, the integrity of all the three nominated candidates is under dispute by either the Christians or the clergy in the area.
Besides the duo, he indicates that Canon Kayimba’s candidature is also under contestation by a section of Christians and clergy who perceive him as an imported candidate from a distant diocese of Namirembe and have since threatened to reject him if chosen as Bishop of West Buganda.
In November last year, the group formally petitioned Archbishop Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, pleading that the new Bishop of West Buganda be chosen from amongst the native priests, who have a better understanding of the dynamics of the area.
They alleged that they had obtained intelligence reports about schemes within the diocesan top administration to sideline the local candidates in favour of a nonnative bishop, in opposition to their preference.
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“The diocese has been put in a state of uncertainty because clearly; there are already sharp rifts both amongst the clergy and Christians and this does not mean well for the Church,” the source indicates. Such controversies arising from the processes for a search for new bishops have a history to West Buganda and the Church of Uganda generally.
In 2019, after he was consecrated, Bishop Henry Katumba took over a sharply divided diocese which was operating in cliques that resisted him during his initial days in office. Bp. Katumba faced outright insubordination and blackmail from both the clergy and Christians.
He attributes the clashes to cliques of selfish individuals who want to profiteer from divisions. He appeals to the Christians not to be driven by sentiments which he says are detrimental to the faith.