My article in the Sunday Monitor of February 15 tackled a problem that goes largely ignored by many Ugandans, yet it deserves intense scrutiny.
I want to say more about it in this column. The problem concerns politicians: The ruling class and their hangers-on who invoke God to deflect public attention from issues that have gone wrong and demand urgent action.
Top on the list are human rights violations, abuse of office, the deliberate refusal by those wielding power to leave when evidence suggests they are no longer fit for purpose, and the misuse of taxpayers’ money to silence critical voices trying to hold leaders accountable.
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The politicians I am talking about—and many work with top religious figures—have never told Ugandans that God spoke to them ordering a crackdown on rampant corruption or the jailing of corrupt individuals. Corruption remains unchecked. God never speaks to them about holding free and fair elections, never about allowing opposition candidates to campaign freely.
They cherry-pick subjects that permit theatrical displays of piety. They hide behind the Lord, behind the Bible and other holy books, to get away with actions that would otherwise provoke outrage because, since time immemorial, people wielding power have used religion to make themselves appear trustworthy.
But all religions are man-made. If religion, a human creation, is what tells you about God, and that God neither defends himself nor disowns those who invoke his name while doing evil, then it ultimately does not matter how loudly leaders profess their devotion.
Politicians can govern to the satisfaction of both religious and non-religious people without invoking God. They simply have to do the right things. But they do not. Consider this: security forces are led by a high-ranking military official whose social media posts almost always feature the word “God.”
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On Christmas Day, they raided the home of Sarah Bireete, head of the Centre for Constitutional Governance. They went straight to her bathroom to arrest her while she was naked. They had deployed a pick-up truck, a van and a Toyota Wish and surrounded the house for hours.
Ms Bireete was not armed. Had she been summoned to a police station, she would have turned up, saving taxpayers’ money and unnecessary theatrics.
There is no evidence whatsoever that God sanctioned Ms Bireete’s arrest or approved of what was done.
Invoking his name is all about pretending to look pious.
🔴 Sunday Thought cuts through the noise of prayer, piety and superstition to ask the questions most people avoid. It discusses God, faith and religion—not to preach, but to probe, challenge and sometimes unsettle. Whether you believe, doubt or have stopped looking altogether, Sunday Thought will make you think, question and maybe even rethink everything you thought you knew about the divine—and about life itself.