Former Ugandan Parliamentarian Accuses Archbishop Of Fearing Museveni
By Tom Oniro Elenyu Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons Unlike the late Archbishop Janani Luwum who got killed for standing up against the injustices meted out on Ugandans by Gen Idi Amin’s government, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, His Grace Paul Semogerere fears Gen Yoweri Museveni, the outspoken former Ethics and Integrity minister, Miria Matembe, has lamented. “The truth is that I am not surprised that President Museveni stopped the prayers…What surprises me is that the Archbishop; not even bishop, has stopped the prayers,” the iron-lady of female emancipation, roared at the February 23 press conference. “You know he [Museveni] feared because he knows that whatever he is doing is bad…My greatest surprise is that the Archbishop feared when we are in the middle of the week when we celebrated the life of Archbishop Luwum.” Luwum was the archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire; now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was murdered by Amin on February 16, 1977 for speaking out against the latter’s atrocious regime of January 25, 1971-April 11, 1979. February 16 is now a public holiday in Uganda in honor of Luwum’s courage. Matembe spoke alongside UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, wife of jailed opposition kingpin who has helped build dissent in Uganda under Museveni’s regime, Dr. Kizza Besigye. Byanyima had organised prayers for her husband and other incarcerated political prisoners of conscience some whose remand periods date back to 15 years. But to Byanyima’s dismay as well as friends and well-wishers who gathered at the seat of the Catholic Church in Kampala—Rubaga Cathedral—the Archbishop canceled the Holy Mass saying Museveni had telephoned him claiming the prayers were “political” and therefore he needed to “investigate”. According to Byanyima, she telephoned Museveni who promised to get back to her on Wednesday on the way forward. At the time this article went to bed, however, there were no indications whatsoever, that Museveni had gotten back to Byanyima. Faithfuls from different religious and political persuasions had congregated for the Holy Mass with gifts befitting the seven divine works of mercy which includes visiting and giving alms to prisoners, especially during the Lenten Season which kicked off with Ash Wednesday on February 18. Present, too, was Kenya’s former Justice minister-turned-opposition leader, Martha Karua, from whose at-the-time botched book launch in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Besigye was abducted on November 16, 2024 and whisked into Uganda. He was subsequently charged with treason alongside his long-time aide Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola. They have since been denied bail with Besigye’s health reportedly deteriorating. Matembe, however, sees an opportunity in Archbishop Semogerere’s “fear” because “when archbishop Luwum was martyred, Uganda was opened to the whole world out there…Don’t take this [Archbishop Semogerere’s fear] as a simple matter: This is the opportunity when the whole world will understand that if the whole archbishop can fear, then there is something wrong out there in Uganda.” Matembe was fired from cabinet on May 13, 2003 together with now-late Eriya Kategaya (the then First Deputy Prime Minister and minister for East African Community Affairs) and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali (then long-time Local Government minister). They had vehemently opposed the deletion of the constitutional clause limiting the presidency to only two five-year terms. The clause, however, was lifted on July 13, 2005 by an allegedly harassed and bribed Parliament.
Black News 
By Tom Oniro Elenyu
Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons
Unlike the late Archbishop Janani Luwum who got killed for standing up against the injustices meted out on Ugandans by Gen Idi Amin’s government, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, His Grace Paul Semogerere fears Gen Yoweri Museveni, the outspoken former Ethics and Integrity minister, Miria Matembe, has lamented.
“The truth is that I am not surprised that President Museveni stopped the prayers…What surprises me is that the Archbishop; not even bishop, has stopped the prayers,” the iron-lady of female emancipation, roared at the February 23 press conference. “You know he [Museveni] feared because he knows that whatever he is doing is bad…My greatest surprise is that the Archbishop feared when we are in the middle of the week when we celebrated the life of Archbishop Luwum.”
Luwum was the archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire; now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was murdered by Amin on February 16, 1977 for speaking out against the latter’s atrocious regime of January 25, 1971-April 11, 1979. February 16 is now a public holiday in Uganda in honor of Luwum’s courage.
Matembe spoke alongside UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, wife of jailed opposition kingpin who has helped build dissent in Uganda under Museveni’s regime, Dr. Kizza Besigye. Byanyima had organised prayers for her husband and other incarcerated political prisoners of conscience some whose remand periods date back to 15 years.
But to Byanyima’s dismay as well as friends and well-wishers who gathered at the seat of the Catholic Church in Kampala—Rubaga Cathedral—the Archbishop canceled the Holy Mass saying Museveni had telephoned him claiming the prayers were “political” and therefore he needed to “investigate”.
According to Byanyima, she telephoned Museveni who promised to get back to her on Wednesday on the way forward. At the time this article went to bed, however, there were no indications whatsoever, that Museveni had gotten back to Byanyima.
Faithfuls from different religious and political persuasions had congregated for the Holy Mass with gifts befitting the seven divine works of mercy which includes visiting and giving alms to prisoners, especially during the Lenten Season which kicked off with Ash Wednesday on February 18.
Present, too, was Kenya’s former Justice minister-turned-opposition leader, Martha Karua, from whose at-the-time botched book launch in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Besigye was abducted on November 16, 2024 and whisked into Uganda. He was subsequently charged with treason alongside his long-time aide Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt Denis Oola. They have since been denied bail with Besigye’s health reportedly deteriorating.
Matembe, however, sees an opportunity in Archbishop Semogerere’s “fear” because “when archbishop Luwum was martyred, Uganda was opened to the whole world out there…Don’t take this [Archbishop Semogerere’s fear] as a simple matter: This is the opportunity when the whole world will understand that if the whole archbishop can fear, then there is something wrong out there in Uganda.”
Matembe was fired from cabinet on May 13, 2003 together with now-late Eriya Kategaya (the then First Deputy Prime Minister and minister for East African Community Affairs) and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali (then long-time Local Government minister). They had vehemently opposed the deletion of the constitutional clause limiting the presidency to only two five-year terms. The clause, however, was lifted on July 13, 2005 by an allegedly harassed and bribed Parliament.
