President Yoweri Museveni has called for partnerships between the government and religious leaders in the wealth creation campaign to alleviate poverty among Ugandans.
In his message delivered by the Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba at the inauguration of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) East Buganda Field (diocese) in Mukono, President Museveni asked the church leaders to encourage believers to embrace government programs.
Museveni commended the SDA fraternity for the role they play in mobilization to raise people’s standards of living but highlighted that spiritual nourishment alone is not enough.
“A holistic and relevant ministry must express equal concern for other human needs of the faithful. As believers, we have other human needs such as food, clothes, shelter, education, and medicine that must be satisfied,” President Museveni said.
He said that failure to attain the basic human needs, it is equivalent to one living in absolute poverty. He added that the government has come up with several programs such as Emyooga, Parish Development Model, and Youth Fund to fight poverty which the religious leaders must mobilize their followers to embrace.
He urged leaders to encourage the faithful to venture into commercial agriculture alongside other projects to uplift their standards of living.
“Subsistence farming should, therefore, be eliminated because it is a recipe for poverty and backwardness,’ he said.
He recommended sectors where wealth and jobs can be created and these are commercial agriculture, industries, services, and ICT.
Nabakooba reminded the SDA believers about President Museveni’s pledge to avail a brand new vehicle to each of the installed SDA bishops in the next financial year 2024/2025 which starts in July.
The inauguration of the new SDA field and installation of the Bishop Jeremiah Alisengawa was presided over by the President of the East and Central African Division (ECD), Dr. Pr Blasious Ruguri, a Kenyan national.
In his sermon, Pr Ruguri lauded President Museveni for his support towards the SDA church and expressed their commitment to answering the government’s prayer of equal concern for human needs.
Pr Ruguri said the SDA church has contributed to the education sector by setting up different educational institutions including Bugema University which himself is an alumnus. They have also extended health services to people by building a number of health facilities including Ishaka Hospital in Western Uganda.
East Buganda Field (EBF) has been curved out of the Kireka-based Central Uganda Conference, meaning that the former is now an independent SDA church entity.
EBF which covers Buikwe, Kayunga, Buvuma Island, and Mukono is one of other fields like Elgon, Mid-Western Uganda, Mid-Eastern Uganda, and Busoga.
Pr Dr Moses Maka, the Seventh Day Adventist Church Archbishop in Uganda appreciated President Museveni for the freedom of worship he offered to Ugandans ever since he assumed power in 1986.
“We thank the government for the partnership manifested through recognition of church in Uganda,” Dr Maka said.
The East Buganda Field bishop, Alisengawa was installed together with Pr Hannington Ntuulo as the Executive Secretary, and Robert Golooba as the Treasury Elder.