President Yoweri Museveni has called for partnerships between the government and religious leaders in the wealth creation campaign to alleviate poverty among Ugandans.
In his message delivered by Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba at the inauguration of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) East Buganda Field (diocese) in Mukono , President Museveni asked the church leaders to encourage believers to embrace government development programs.
He commended them for the role they play in mobilisation to raise people’s standards of living but highlighted that spiritual nourishment alone is not enough.
“A holistic and relevant ministry must express equal concern for other human needs of the faithful. As believers, we have other human needs such as food, clothes, shelter, education, and medicine that must be satisfied,” President Museveni said.
Museveni said failure to attain the basic human needs, is considered to be living in poverty. He said the government has come up with several programs such as Emyooga, Parish Development Model, and Youth Fund to fight poverty.
He urged leaders to encourage the faithful to venture into commercial agriculture alongside other projects to uplift their living standards.
“Subsistence farming should, therefore, be eliminated because it is a recipe for poverty and backwardness,’ he said.
He recommended sectors where wealth and jobs can be created and these are commercial agriculture, industries, services, and ICT.
On behalf of the government, Hon Nabakooba pledged to secure a brand new vehicle for the newly installed bishop in the next financial year 2024/2025 that starts in July.
The inauguration of the new SDA field and installation of the Bishop-elect Pr Jeremiah Alisengawa was presided over by the President of the East and Central African Division (ECD), Pr Blasious Ruguri, a Kenyan national.
In his sermon, Pr Ruguri lauded President Museveni for his support towards the SDA church and expressed their commitment to answering the government’s prayer of equal concern for human needs.
Pr Ruguri said the SDA church has contributed to the education sector by setting up different educational institutions including Bugema University. They have also extended health services to people by building Ishaka Hospital in Western Uganda.
East Buganda Field (EBF) has been curved out of the Kireka-based Central Uganda Conference, meaning that the former is now an independent SDA church entity.
EBF which covers Buikwe, Kayunga, Buvuma Island, and Mukono is one of other fields like Elgon, Mid-Western Uganda, Mid-Eastern Uganda, and Busoga.
Pr Dr Moses Maka, the Seventh Day Adventist Church Archbishop in Uganda appreciated President Museveni for the freedom of worship he offered to Ugandans ever since he assumed power in 1986.
“We thank the government for the partnership manifested through recognition of church in Uganda,” Dr Maka said.
The East Buganda Field bishop, Alisengawa was appointed together with Pr Hannington Ntuulo as the Executive Secretary, and Robert Golooba as the Treasury Elder.
