By Mike Musisi Musoke and Wilberforce Kawere
The Archbishop of the Uganda Union of Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) in Uganda, Dr. Moses Maka Ndimukika has refuted the report of the recent National Housing and Population Census released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), saying it is a misrepresentation of the correct figures pertaining to the SDA church.
Dr. Ndimukika vehemently opposed the figures given by UBOS saying they are misleading and incorrect, and suggested that they release figures giving a true representation or else conduct a recount of the SDA believers countrywide.
Kitalo! Eyali Omusomi W’ebirango ku CBS Ssaalongo John Afudde!!!
This was contained in his charge at a thanksgiving service for the newly created East Buganda Field, held on Sunday at Hilton High School – Bukasa in Nakisunga sub-county, Mukono district.
The UBOS report indicated that SDA followers stand at two percent of the population, which Dr. Ndimukika opposes. Without elaborating, he said that believers in Kireka and Bugema, strongholds of their faith, were not counted during the census, and suggested that a re-count be conducted.
“Our numbers by far exceed the two percent reflected in the census report, and we are writing to UBOS to retract their report and either give correct figures or conduct a re-count of our followers countrywide,” he said.
Representing President Museveni, the Minister of State for Kampala and Metropolitan Areas, Christopher Kabuye Kyofatogabye expressed discomfort at people who move at a snail speed in executing development work and reminded them that mankind has no luxury of time, and that as such it is imperative that they complete whatever they set their hands on in a diligent and speedy manner.
“Some of you engage in day long fruitless political discussions instead of tilling your land or doing something that will bring an income in your home; what does it benefit anyone to start arguing about President Museveni’s 80th birthday? Society will leave you bogged down and many other politicians will celebrate their birthdays while you are languishing in poverty,” Kyofatogabye noted.
He handed over sh20m contributed by President Museveni towards the execution of God’s work in the newly created East Buganda Field of the SDA church.
Elsewhere, the SDA leader, Dr. Ndimukika thanked government for creating a conducive atmosphere for freedom of worship, and appealed to believers not to take this freedom for granted, saying;
“Those of you who were of age in the 70s remember the persecution by the government in leadership then, and if we are not careful, we may see a recurrence of this.”
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Addressing the congregation, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner in charge of Mukono Municipality Rhonda Tiitwe Kagaaga decried the rampant acts of domestic violence characterised by divorces and men selling off family property without consulting their spouses.
Tiitwe suggested that barring such activities should be the basis for evangelisation, and charged religious leaders to be at the head of preaching unity at all levels.
“We should forthwith discard all tendencies of tribal and other forms of discrimination, and look at each other as partners in the development of our nation,” she advised.
The Mukono chapter of the church became a station in 2018, and elevated to a field on 4th June this year. It is constituted by 14 cells in the four zones of Mukono, Kayunga, Buvuma and Buikwe.
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