By Mmeeme Leticia Luwenze and Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
PARROTS UG|POLITICAL REPORT:
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is concerned about the unanswered cause of death of several religious leaders in Uganda.
In a course of less than a year, Uganda has lost Four influential and eloquent religious leaders including; the head of Muslim Dawa at Kibuli Sheikh Nuhu Muzaata (died on December 4, 2020), Masaka catholic Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa (died on January 20, 2021), Archbishop of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga (died on April 3, 2021) and now the Bishop of the Orthodox Church in Uganda Bishop Jonah Lwanga (died on September 5,2021), who was buried today at St. Nicholas Church Namungoona.
Before their death, the deceased had confessed in the public about life threatening messages they received from the people they neither disclosed nor sued before court something which has caused doubts in the minds of the people with many alleging that their death are state managed.
Speaking to journalists on Monday during the weekly press conference at Najjanankumbi, Harlod Kaijja, the FDC Deputy General Secretary raised concerns about these untimely deaths targeting religious leaders and who kills them tasking the government to thoroughly investigate the cause of the death of non political persons.
Kaijja was referring to the recent remarks made by Metropolitan Lwanga brother, Nathan Muwanga during a requiem mass on Saturday at St. Nicholas Church, Namungoona. The deceased brother disclosed that the Archbishop had earlier received death threats on his phone, allegedly relating to his bold character of speaking against evils committed by those in authority and power.
According to the family, the message threatened that Lwanga would be harmed something that he took lightly by stopping them (family) from following up the matter.
Now the FDC is interested in investigations to find out the prime group fueling these death threats likely to be the cause of death of the men of God/Allah.
“The relatives of Archbishop Jonah Lwanga as we had all assumed that oh! he has been sick, down with cancer, are now telling us that he received a message that, “they want to kill me,” the Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga on the altar he said, ‘they want to kill me,” Sheikh Muzaata used to say, ‘they want to kill me,” Bishop Kaggwa used to say, ‘they want to kill me,’ WHO IS THAT THEY? We must investigate and know that “they” who kill people who are not political, ambitious but are on point on the wrong things . There is a dirt somewhere . Clean this spot!” Kaijja tasked.
He expressed the need for a consensus in the country warning that if citizens folded their hands and watch the mess happening, they would all die the same death.
He noted that the death of the four bold religious leaders is a blow to the opposition and oppressed people in the country.
“To us the oppressed, its now about Four- Nil, We have lost Archbishop Lwanga, Bishop Kaggwa, Sheikh Muzaata, now who will speak for us? Because the plead of leaders we are seeing today are mute. Those who used to teach us to work for heaven now work for earthly glories. ” Kaijja mourned Metropolitan Lwanga.
In addition, the FDC has advised government to reopen schools and allow learners to study in shifts to create space for other learners noting that some of the schools have enough spaces that students can use to study under the tree shades.
They accuse the government of closing down schools for a long period something that has increased into school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, and other forms of misbehaviors among learners.
“Our children have stayed at home for three years now, theirs are at school studying and being promoted. Mr. Museveni promised online classes, radios per household and a TV set per village but we can’t see them, our children are getting pregnant, the boys are changing voices,” Kaijja lamented before adding,
“If you want to kill a society, you kill two sectors that is to say; Education and Health. Covid has shown us that we don’t have better health facilities in the country. Many schools today look like deserted houses, they have been turned into chicken farms. Mr Museveni and his government are promoting a systematic programme of apartheid,” Kaijja said.
