Ugandans-At-Heart

It is 12:00 O’clock (East Africa Time)EAT, 31st May in the year of our Lord, 2009.Greetings fom Uganda. The sun is shinning, inter-sparced by rain, as usual. the credit cruch is bitting as the “kyeyo funds’ seem to have dried up and the financial year of the GoU is at and end, living on borrowed {called supplementary] funding.

• The 3-in-one  sevice at this ‘ancient’ wonder of architecture has been going on since 9:00 AM. Things like the pesentation, the oaths, the Minutes of the House of Bishops, The ‘examination’ [a touch interrogation], are over. It is now the consecration. His Grace   the Archbishop of the province of Uganda announces:“I hereby declare that Bishop Luwulira Kityo Wiberforce has been duly connsecrated a BISHOP”.
• But wait, Namirembe does not have a Bishop yet. Becoming a bishop as at this moment, does not give you authority over East and Central Africa’s oldesct Diocese. So, So, more things follow:
  • The Mandate is read by the provincial Chancellor
  • The New Bishop Luwalira reads the Promises.
  • Then followed the investiture and presentation of the symbols of Office:
    • The Archbishop delivered the Episcopal ring.
    • the Pectoral Cross
    • The Stole
    • The Coper
    • the Metre
    • and finally: THE PASTORAL STAFF. This, presented by the Archbishop on behalf of the people of the Diocese of Namirembe is the symbolof Authority, of a good shephard like Jesus was – to uphold him and sustain him as he carries it in His name.
  • The ENTHRONEMENT:
    • After all this, actual enthronement took place. The Archbishop declared,at 12:30 Hrs EAT.
      • “We, Henry, by the devine mercy of the Almighty God, do hereby declare Bishop Luwulira Kityo Wilberforce, Bishop of Namirembe Diocese…”
    • The the Heavens broke loose and shouting, ululations and “Tukutendereze Yeesu..” could probably be heard all over the 7 hills of Kampala.
    • The elders od the Church then took their new Bishop to the THRONE.
  • Charge: the new Bishop then read his CHARGE [manifesto in Politics] where he promised to, among other things, fight child sacrifices, corruption, land grabbing , “..it is time the big men stopped robbing the poor of their land..” whereby the TV cameras focussed on Amama Mbabazi (of the Temangalo fame)who was sitting next to his boss. He asked that parents be allowed to provide for food in UPE/USE schools “a hungry child is an annoyed individual” [under UPE, no charges of any sort are allowed, even for food, which causes many to dop out.[M7, in reply, promised to consider a waiver on this].
  • 2:30 PM Hon Ms Beti Kamya is invited to introduce political leaders. She starts with M7 and the Hon. minister for Karamoja. She is proud to say her grand-dad Andrea Kamya was the first catichest in Ankole Kingdom and that her dad’s protrait hangs in the Bishop’s office next door [he was diocesan treasurer in Amini's time, at Namirembe]. She then likened her self to  the Biblical woman who touched the garment of Jesus after suffering from ‘a blood hamorrage’ for years and she asked to be allowed to say some thing. She asked M7 for “federo“. She had fogotten to recognise the presence of DP suprimo Ssebaana Kizito and was reminded and did later.
  • Next spoke the Katikoro od Buganda and finally the BIG man himself, who pledged a vehicle for the new Bishop [as usual]. he said Kamya’s question cannot be discussed at this fora. “We discussed this thing (federo) in the Bush and since we came to power…”
  • 3:20 PM. Two stanzas of the National Anthem are sang [as a rule when the President is present, otherwise one is the norm], followed by 3 of late Rev. Pollycarp Kakooza’s 1950′s “Ekitibwa kya Buganda..”.
• The ceremony in this former hqrs of the E.African church ended with a pubic fest at the grounds of Mmngo School (1897]. M7 and his entourage drove off with their mobile kitchen, hospital and this time around mainly dishuised security, though the gun nests could bee seen around as were the army filed kitchen and serving areas to the wers of kampala.
• The Archbishops of Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, Dallas, were present or represented.

The Building: Namirembe is old but still an imposing structure. First build in 1893 by the then Buganda’s the Chief  architect  Nicodem Sebwato, in ancient ganda syle of reed-arches and slanting thatch, it was destroyed by fire, termites, lightening, etc] and rebuilt  final to the current form, from the Architectural drawings of Gerald Gelford Pite. Sir Apollo Kagwa, Ssekiboobo [Provincial Governor Kyaggwe] Ham Mukasa, and even the King, Sir Daudi Chwa, took direct part in the building process.. but, from 1915, it now needs repair and the New Bishop has his plate full on this one. May God bless him in his new office.

I did not see President Obote of the UPC but one can find out, and revert with an answer, either from the organising Commitee at St. Paul’s, or directly from her friends at Impala  Avenue, Kololo House [matrimonial home [a Sh. 300,000/= storeyed flat offered as a gift by an Indian, in 1963 after their marriage (the Obote's ONLY property in Kampala, one  hears). [in his book, "Crisis of confidence"-the NRM supremo KK (Kirunda Kivedindha) calls this Obote's first {and only?} case of corruption --Hmmmm]. [Obotes’s cascate ’rested’ there from Zambia}.

P/S: The Nkima clan were present in FORCE.

==end===

Christopher Muwanga,

Nakasero,