It never stops raining for Luwero Diocese. In just barely 6 months when Rev. Abel Mere Ewoma was expelled from the nominees for the coveted office, the Church of Uganda has now announced the nullification of the election of Rev. Canon Godfrey Kasana as the 4th Bishop of Luwero Diocese. Unfortunately, this decision made unanimously during a meeting on June 28, 2023 at the Kabalega Resort Hotel in Hoima by the House of Bishops has left more questions than answers.
Besides creating untold pain and suffering to the candidate concerned and his family, the fraternity of Christians in the Diocese is also severely wounded. While Church is commended for promising to expedite the new nomination and electoral process, is this sufficient to ensure that this sad commentary does not play right into the larger geopolitical tensions of our beloved Country and minimize on the unnecessary disruption to our peace?
Is the nullification of The Rev. Canon Godfrey Kasana’s election barely two week into his consecration solely hinged sexual immorality? Already this is not new. We have on record a senior cleric on the level of Archbishop who was caught up in the extra marital relations scandal and was rehabilitated. It is also estimated that over 90% of the clergy have sired children out the wed lock and about 54% of Bishops are feared to have second homes. Could there be more than meets the ordinary eye?
Could the now disgraced Bishop elect Kasana have underestimated the church of the 21st century? It is clear, it is now largely characterized by full throated grass root Christianity, and is confrontational, conspiracy laden and sometimes hinged with racial overtones. Instead of owning up to his personal weakness, he chose to cast himself as a victim at every turn, giving chance to his adversaries. Armed with increased digitalization and optimization strategies, they were able to leverage on their phone hacking skills; to tap into the sweet Kasana conversations with his many beautiful ‘slay queens’ who congratulated him frequently on his election. With these X-rated and high adrenaline recordings, they appear to have caught poor Kasana by surprise, to his peril; and to send a message clear to the rest of the promiscuous clergy, that in the murky world of mafias, no one is safe.
One questions that clearly stands out is, how could how a candidate can go through all the different stages of screening to become a Bishop elect and still brought down with a nullification? Could there gaps in the institutional framework of the Church, specifically in the nominations and elections of new Bishops? Is it not time, we thought of adopting the western model in the nomination and election of new Bishops where everyone participates in thoughtful discussions aimed at shaping a workable approach to the nomination of new Bishops. For instance, why entrust the future of the church to only 14 members of the nomination committee? These are so few a number to be compromised to allow in candidates of forged papers, corrupt and can quickly sell of church land and are sexually promiscuous.
It is still not clear why the 14 member Nomination Committee did not call for fresh nominations when one of the nominees aka Rev. Abel Mere Ewoma was nullified on the account of forgery. Any such oversight is a far cry from what the Diocese Synod intended in their election and is totally inexcusable. The Bishops should have disbanded the entire group and follow in the footsteps of their predecessors in the Muhabura controversy. There is a precedent that when the House of Bishops led by Archbishop Nkoyooyo expelled Bishop elect Sebuhinja from Muhabura, they also disbanded the entire nomination committee. Similarly, in West Buganda Diocese; when Nkoyooyo cancelled the election of Canon Akisoferi Maguzi, Formerly Archdeacon of Luzira, he also drew a curtain over the entire nomination committee.
Finally, instead of waiting when it too late for reform, is there provision for clergy to continuously examine their consciences for ways they may be harming to the unity of Church of Christ? For instance, have church taken trouble to benchmark best practices for serious examination of conscience and conversion with their western counterparts? In Church of England, has so far the best clergy performance appraisals which is useful in the support of building up the kingdom of God and the unity of his body, the church.
AUTHOR
Rev. Canon Erich Kasirye 0782-392534
CHAPLAIN, KAMPALA CAPITAL CITY AUTHORITY
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