Masaka’s self-professed ‘favourite son’ has organized a holy mass to be led by none other than the Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere. There is however an opposing group claiming those attending this church service are in for an unholy event. The Mpuuga group however says – no one should blasphemy a sacred activity – one billed to help Hon Mathias Mpuuga to bounce back. With such controversy in the air, one wonders what’s up the sleeves of church leaders as the country debates the pros and cons of the Kitovu event.
After accusations and counter accusations among National Unity Platform’s rank and file, one realizes that the Holy Eucharistic celebration at the Kitovu Sports Arena will be graced by sinners or saints – depending on which side of the coin one sees.
Religious card
Although one would ask, didn’t Jesus come down for sinners? Yes of course. And, haven’t NUP people sinned enough! Why, having disorganised the political strata, they have went for the cultural institution of Buganda which they have unclothed, and now, they are headed for the Catholic church, which they are questioning over the planned Mass.
With religion back into political spotlight, I am afraid religion and culture are some of the pillars forming a strong society.
Masaka as the bedrock of the Catholic church in Uganda as well as traditional cultural base for Buganda, the special church mass in honour of Nyendo Mukungwe legislator and the former Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, could have gone without questioning. With NUP agigation, we see headline grabbing money heist characterizing parliament in recent years as a ‘den of thieves’ and Mpuuga as one of their posterboys!
Men and women from all walks of life including politics, culture, religion, business, etc, are going to attend this make-or-break event for Mpuuga. It is expected that successful event would save him from sinking into political oblivion.
However, there is a group that believes Mpuuga is running to church to cleanse himself and would have wished the church was cautious with how to deal with the Masaka Politician. One Masaka priest is filmed asking ironically if the church was celebrating Mpuuga’s loot or was cleansing it! It sounds like there are voices within the church disapproving the decision of the Catholic church to lead such a high-profile mass amidst the controversy.
However, NUP headed to Masaka, and NUP against the mass in Kitovu, are both suffering agony – as they are faced with such a dilemma. I understand however that in the Catholic church rites, the sacrament of penance proceeds every mass.
Mpuuga’s party, the National Unity Platform, has distanced themselves and dissuaded their support from the Masaka Mass. Never has a Catholic leader in Uganda campaigned a church service as Kyagulanyi and his team have done.
It remains to be seen if Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine’s portrayal of Mpuuga as ‘corrupt’ and ‘insubordinate’ and his running into the church to rebrand himself, wouldn’t save the day, becomes yet a developing story where NUP will go for the Church leadership just as they have done with the Mengo establishment seen as allied to Mpuuga!
Arguments for and against the so-called ‘service award’ – have been made, culminating into the suspension of Mpuuga, a once respected politician, now, baptized on the social media streets as a ‘common thief’.
Whereas Mpuuga has been adamant in remaining a Commissioner in Parliament as per his appointment even after the party withdrawal of his name, however, NUP has been clear – he no longer represented them in the Parliamentary Commission. His stay has become both a moral question and a further portrait of shame on the image of ‘Honorable’ Mpuuga. Many analysts agree that whether Mpuuga and co felt legally entitled to give themselves the funds – the moment it was raised publicly it was incumbent upon them to step aside and allow themselves to be properly investigated and cleared of wrong doing, before returning to duty.
For NRM’s case, the party has gone ahead in their last central executive committee meeting to agree to reshuffle the committees of parliament, including NRM commissioners in Parliament.
President Museveni has now and again highlighted corruption in his many speeches, as a cancer eating away the gains of Uganda. In his state of the nation address this year, he promised to deal with the corrupt. The current arrests of MPs associated with budgeting-linked corruption have sent shivers into the spine of Ugandans. Without forgetting the near past, iron sheets scandalous leaders were equally punished with prosecution as well as politically being removed from parliament. This was a reminder of the President’s awareness of the plight of Ugandans.
We have also seen the State House Anti-Corruption Unit running its operations weekly around the country – arresting especially local government leaders frustrating service delivery to the common wananchi.
So, Mpuuga and co, now bitter rivals with former NUP rank and file, have a weekend to show off if Banamasaka have space for him. Also he has a choice to make on his next course of action – whether he is starting his own party, or remains in rebellion inside his party.
However, for a good mass to start well – some few things need to be observed. One, Jesus came to redeem sinners – not the saints. So, the two holy and ungodly groups in NUP will need to agree on which sides they belong. Three – for a Holy Mass to start well, one needs to have a good confession – otherwise, going to the altar with dirty hands in sacrilegious.
Mpuuga’s confession will go a long way in showing Masaka as indeed a holy site of Uganda’s saints. Even if it was a moral issue – Mr Mpuuga and Mr Kyagulanyi – have a lot to prove to Ugandans that they are the high priests of morality with each of them parading themselves each passing day that they are actually worse than the political class they are intending to remove.
And if there’s a chance for NUP’s saints and sinners to do a favour to the nation is joining President Museveni to fight the corruption vice.
Mike Ssegawa is a journalist and deputy RDC Mukono.
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