By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
Uganda’s minister of state for ICT in charge of national guidance, Hon. Godfrey Baluku Kabyanga, has sounded the alarm on the nation’s moral decay, citing rising indecency, crime, and disrespect for elders and leaders. He attributes this decline to the erosion of traditional values by Western culture and calls for a return to core family values.
“There is need to rebuild moral and value system in the country […] Ugandans need to go back to the fundamentals and see where they went wrong; this can only be done through putting the family at the center,” said minister Baluku.
The minister was speaking to journalists during a joint media briefing ahead of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRC-Uganda) Family Festival. He revealed that the government plans to support institutions promoting moral guidance and preserve cultural heritage, and urged to preach family values and prosperity to address moral bankruptcy and cultural erosion in Uganda.
The Inter-Religious Family Festival aims to celebrate African family values, foster interfaith harmony, and promote development. The event seeks to strengthen parenting, conflict resolution, and values-based education, and establish a Religious Freedom Roundtable.
Speakers emphasized the importance of traditional family values and interfaith cooperation in achieving a renaissance in Africa.
Pastor Dr. Joseph Sserwadda, the Born-Again Faith leader and co-president of the IRC-Uganda said the festival also aims to strengthen parenting skills development, nurture and put in place a mechanism for conflict resolution in families, communities, and at the region level.
The President of the Global Peace Foundation Uganda Chapter, Peace Service Ambassador Milton Kambula, on the other hand appealed to the media to report responsibly and avoid harmful misinformation.
“We are meeting to celebrate the vision of one family under God, a path for reviving the African Renaissance. We are motivated that once again Africa is becoming the center of world peace, and kings and religious leaders uniting and building the capacities of families and communities can help us raise a new population that can build a new Africa for the future,” he said recently.
The Inter-Religious Family Festival will take place on Saturday 29th June, 2024, at Kololo independence grounds. President Museveni is expected to officiate the function.
