Museveni preaches unity at prayer breakfast meet

President Museveni has rallied religious leaders to preach and promote unity in the country as opposed to discriminatory messages made against traditional healers.

In his brief message delivered at the 26th National Prayer Breakfast held at State House Entebbe yesterday, Mr Museveni discouraged religious leaders against fuelling division among Ugandans.

The President was accompanied by the First Lady, Ms Janet Museveni.

He reasoned that such forms of disunity plunged Uganda into civil unrest in the immediate post-Independence period, thereby stalling development.

“Those who were pushing divisions among our people because of religious sectarianism were not acting on behalf of God [but] on the behalf of Satan,” he said before condemning the anger lashed out at traditional healers in the country.

“In the bush, we worked with everybody and we invited everybody. We had no problem with them [traditional healers], but I normally hear you denouncing them. We had a very good relationship with them,’’ Mr Museveni said.

He, therefore, advised religious leaders and other persons in society to focus on “how to get something positive out of people [because] these are people who just need information. So in 1986, all these people came with us because we were not full ourselves’’.

President Museveni reminded guests of the parable of Good Samaritan where a Samaritan helped a traveller who had not been helped by a priest and people of his ethnicity.

“The message of Jesus was very clear. He couldn’t support religious sectarianism. Therefore, those who were pushing divisionism among our people because of religious sectarianism were not acting on behalf of God but they were acting on behalf of Satan,” President Museveni said. 

He said when they went to the bush to fight against Milton Obote’s government, they worked with all religions, including the traditionalists, and continued with the same policies after capturing power. 

The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Annet Among, expressed fear that Uganda’s founding pillars are being threatened by forces of immorality such as those witnessed in the aftermath of the enacting the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

 Ms Among stated that Uganda’s legislative arm underwent a heavy backlash on social media platforms as witnessed during the Parliamentary exhibition early this year. She reiterated comments that such forces were fuelled by the Anti-gay law.

“We will not allow the foundations of this country to be destroyed. We will protect our foundation, for now and for the next generation. This is the creed of foundation that guides the action of decision-making in Parliament,” she said.

Today’s 62nd Independence anniversary will be held in eastern district of Busia.

Background

The prayer breakfast meetting precedes the official celebration of Uganda’s Independence Day celebrations today.

The breakfast meeting was held under the theme “If foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?