Musaazi NAMITI | SUNDAY THOUGHT
Last week, I wrote an article in the Weekend Monitor titled “Is heaven better when a bishop wants a shs5b house?” A reverend, whose name I will not disclose, reached out to me, via email, and said he agreed with the article’s significance.
“In a country where poverty is undeniably rampaging,” he wrote, “it’s horrendous to construct a [shs] 6bn residence for a religious family, and more so a family that should champion social emancipation to the ignorant, the sick and the poor of the earth.”
He added: “This is fleecing the flock, to be precise.”
Religious people rarely agree with criticism of religious leaders or anything religious, but the reverend in question spoke his mind. I guess he managed to do so because he knew the email would not get into the public domain.
When religious leaders are busy trying to secure material things in life, it raises questions as to whether they really care about the afterlife. The cost of the house being constructed for the Namirembe Bishop, Moses Banja, clearly shows the church is all out for luxury.
Religious leaders are free to enjoy luxury, especially if they are spending their own money. But, as the reverend noted, when they are leading opulent lifestyles and the people they lead have little or nothing, those people get disillusioned with their leaders.
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A shs5bn house in Uganda is too expensive by any standard. And like all large, impressive homes, it will come with high maintenance costs, electricity and water bills. Bishop Banja told reporters that the money for the first phase had run out and appealed to well-wishers to contribute.
It is an unmistakable case of someone wanting to live in luxury at someone else’s expense. And it raises a pertinent question: Do religious leaders care more about serving people or about having nice homes and cars?
Nearly all prominent pastors in Uganda live in palatial homes. When President Museveni offers religious leaders cars, he gives them SUVs, not small affordable cars.
For those who have opened their eyes to religious leaders’ lifestyles, the writing is on the wall: You can tithe and make all sorts of financial contributions and you will be appreciated. But those on the receiving end have more than what they need. The house under construction is a prize example. If you can get a really nice house for a little under shs1bn, why construct a shs5b mansion?
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🔴 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.