The Church of Uganda has refused to own the 18th July letter which defamed Rev. Canon Erich Kasirye as a masquerader-leaving the author of the statement, Rev. Canon William Ongeng in the deep legal troubles.
In his letter, which was circulated widely on both print and digital platforms, the Provincial Secretary stated that, Church of Uganda calls on the public to dis-regard Erich Kasirye who is masquerading around as the Anglican Chaplain of Kampala Capital City Authority and has a long history of deception and lack of integrity.
This prompted Kasirye’s lawyers, Joseph Kiryowa and Co. Advocates to quickly swing into action and demand in their July 26th letter, to clarify if this rather rambling statement represents the official position of the Church of Uganda or his personal views, for which he takes full personal liability. The letter which gave him up to 31st July as deadline, went totally unanswered.
It is reported that all efforts by Ongeng to go from one office to another, to see if others can come to his rescue proved futile as no one wanted to own a statement which was largely riddled with inconsistences. The smart Archbishop whose Church is already reeling with several legal battles was also wary of coming to the defence of a statement which clearly has all the hallmarks of an old man spinning out of control having lost his shot at being the next Bishop of Lango.
It is also widely believed that the Provincial Secretary did not consult any Bishop when writing the defamatory statement on behalf of Church of Uganda. This was more so when most of them have ever crossed paths with Kasirye, during his 30 year honorable service to the Church. Therefore, the Bishops wearily nodded along with their archbishop, to keep away.
There is now real worry that the old man, Ongeng may have to face the dock alone and account for his actions.
Yet Canon Kasirye’s lawyers are not about to budge. In an attempt to tighten further the noose around his neck, they have written another letter dated August 1. It reads in part, ‘Following the unanswered July 26th letter to you, it is now clear that the letter titled Church of Uganda warns Public to disregard Erich Kasirye represents your personal views and not the views of the Church of Uganda as was earlier purported.
The letter then went on to remind Ongeng of Canon Kasirye’s undisputed record of service to the Church.
‘A man by the names Erich Kasirye, as you preferred to address him by your measure of ecclesiastical standards of respect for one another; holds both a BA Education degree (Makerere University, 1991) MA. Theology (Richmond USA, 1995). On September 1995, he was duly ordained as a Deacon and Priest of Church of Uganda by Busoga Diocese. Has was later canonized with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens in August 2018’.
They went on to write, ‘Canon Kasirye has also worked before as Chaplain of the Bishop of Namirembe, and later in the Province of the Church of Uganda as Youth and Students Secretary (Ongeng’s exact office). Later, he was later transferred to key schools in Namirembe Diocese like Lubiri SS and King’s College, Budo as the Chaplain’. Currently, his lawyers added, ‘we have evidence that he is Chaplain of KCCA (Central Division) for over 5 years’.
‘Now, before we take on the next logical step, the tough lawyers wrote- ‘We demand that you establish proof on the following: When has Canon Kasirye masqueraded as the Anglican Chaplain of KCCA? When did he claim to be communications officer or an official spokesperson of Church of Uganda? When did he claim to have been canonized by the Church of Uganda or by any Church of Uganda Bishop? And kindly give us particulars on his long history of deception and lack of integrity as were alleged in your statement’.
The letter which again gives Ongeng a deadline of August 7 was this time not without any drama. The frustrated Provincial Secretary determined to build a fire wall against any further legal letters, ordered all provincial staff desist from receiving letters on his behalf. It therefore took two full days of drama, curses and the intervention of security personnel, for the law to prevail and for Ongeng to receive and acknowledge the second lawyer’s letter with the official Church of Uganda stamp.
Whether this looming legal battle between two senior priests of the same church is a sign of a worsening church or simply a preening of a peacock feathers of a “tawdry family drama”; this is a matter for the Courts of Law to decide. One thing for sure though, it speaks to a bigger picture.
It speaks for a Church, much different than it was before— angrier, divided and less tolerant of one another. It also speaks for a new form of political repression in the Church aimed at demonizing independent thinkers like Canon Kasirye whose writings could have rubbed the church the wrong way.
It also speaks for an autocratic leadership at Church of Uganda headquarters, reminiscent of Nazi Germany of the 1930s and former Soviet Union that was intolerant of critics and bent on silencing all dissenting voices.
Umar Musoke Matovu
Lecturer, Bishop Hannington College
u.matovu@yahoo.com
0758150225
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