Be your brother’s keeper, Speaker Oulanyah tells MPs

Members of Parliament and staff led by Speaker Jacob Oulanyah on Thursday, 16 December 2021 held a candle-lit Christmas Carol and Holy Communion service at Parliament to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

The thanksgiving service presided over by The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, took place at the Parliament conference hall. Worshippers sang songs of praise in celebration of the night in which Christ was born but also to give thanks to God for life.

The MPs were treated to a mix of Christmas Carols, hymns and praise; and worship songs by the Parliament Anglican Chaplaincy choir and All Saints Choir.

Archbishop Kazimba, who presided over the service, asked MPs to look into their hearts and find peace with God. He also called on legislators to take time and ask God what they desire.

Kazimba told MPs that God who brought them to Parliament and put them into positions of leadership, shall sustain them amidst all controversies. He said Uganda’s leaders have found favour with God and they should not fear the task ahead of them.

“God can pick a nobody to become a somebody in front of everybody without consulting anybody. God just picks someone and lifts you above others. You have favour,” he said.

He asked the MPs to commit to fighting all these things they are dealing with including corruption.

Kazimba urged the MPs to fight domestic violence, incest and protection of both the girl and boy-child. He said, to protect girls, there is need to protect boys.

He noted that girls are treated well and highly favored, and they turned up disciplined but they end up with boys who are poorly raised and they end up becoming violent to the girls. He was speaking in regards to the high cases of domestic violence.

Kazimba hailed the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, and the Deputy Speaker, Anita Among, for rallying MPs to raise funds to support the church.

The Speaker of Parliament, who was the chief guest at the celebrations, amazed the congregation with his great musical voice as he sang hymns and Christmas carols in Acholi.

Making reference from the Bible, Oulanyah told the gathering, especially MPs what Jesus said to his disciples in the book of Mathew – that whatsoever they do to the least of his brothers and sisters that they have done to him.

He said Jesus’s statement is the foundation of socio-economic transformation and MPs should follow this.

He urged MPs to focus on the least of Ugandans noting that although MPs work in high places as honourable Members of Parliament, they need to pay more attention to the least of Ugandans as the Bible commands them to do so.