Prime
Govt wraps up regional consultations on religious organisations policy
A group of religious leaders attend a validation meeting for the the Religious Faith-Based Organisations (RFOs) policy at the New Jerusalem Hotel in Luwero town on August 8, 2024. PHOTO | MIKE SEBALU
What you need to know:
- The government is moving to establish a clear and comprehensive national policy framework to govern the registration and regulation of RFOs in the country.
The Directorate for Ethics and Integrity (DEI) in the Office of the President has concluded regional consultations on the Religious Faith-Based Organizations (RFOs) Policy in three districts of Luwero.
The consultations, which began in April 2024, wrapped up on August 8, 2024, covering the districts of Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola.
During the final validation exercise, DEI Permanent Secretary, Mr Alex B. Okello, announced that a national validation is scheduled for September, after which a Cabinet paper will be presented.
“This document is a work in progress; this is the last regional consultation. We held one in Masaka, and I started far away in Arua, moved through Karamoja, and went to Kabale. Finally, I concluded here in Buganda,” he stated.
Okello added: “After this, we will proceed to the national validation, where all these views will be consolidated. Once that is complete, it will be my responsibility to draft a Cabinet paper for review and approval to formalize it as policy.”
The government is moving to establish a clear and comprehensive national policy framework to govern the registration and regulation of RFOs in the country.
The draft policy highlights several issues currently faced by RFOs, including manipulation, exploitation of followers, loss of property and lives, disunity among the faithful, increased rates of domestic violence, family breakdowns, societal instability, promotion of immorality, and noise pollution.
During the consultations in Luwero, some religious leaders expressed their support for the policy's intention to ensure that all religious denominations and their umbrellas are not registered under the NGO Board. They also advocated for the deployment of a government officer for faith-based organizations at each local government to oversee the performance of these organizations on behalf of the government.
Fr James Kibuuka, Assistant Pastoral Coordinator of the Kasana Luwero Catholic Diocese, emphasized the need for the government to establish offices at the local government level for RFO registration.
“We have found it challenging that the government has not yet defined where these religious organizations will register. We don’t have these offices in the districts,” he remarked.
In April, some leaders from born-again churches requested that the government postpone this exercise until after the 2026 general elections. However, the government asserted that this policy framework is essential now to effectively govern the registration and regulation of RFOs in the country.
The four-month validation exercise has taken place across various regions, including Lango, parts of Acholi, Karamoja, Teso, Bugisu, Rwenzori, and Ankole, among others.
