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| The Acting Chairperson of Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali of Aglican Church of Uganda (left) and Sheikh Hatib Mukuluwakita addressing members of the press |
While individual citizens are free to engage fully in partisan politics, the Acting Chairperson of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali has urged all the religious leaders in the country to remain neutral and non-partisan ahead of the 2016 general elections due November in Uganda.
Ntagali, who is also the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda (Anglican), made the call at a press conference for the IRCU that was held in Kampala on July 2. He outlined the resolutions of the role of the religious leaders in the forth-coming elections that was resolved in the meeting of the IRCU senior religious leaders on June 25, 2015.
“Expressions of preference for a political party and of direct or indirect support for or in opposition to specific candidates or political parties are not permissible,” he said. “This is the only way out to avoid creating a wedge between our followers or undermining our impartiality and independence.”
The IRCU member faith-bodies including the Roman Catholic Church, Church of Uganda, Uganda Orthodox Church, Seventh Day Adventist, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Born Again Faith and the National Alliance of Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches met in June to discuss about peace and stability.
“It was from this meeting that we came up with the resolutions on our role during and after the elections, to ensure peace and stability in our country,” Archbishop Ntagali explained.
The resolutions also urges religious leaders to limit or suspend politically motivated fundraising activities in the places of worship during the election season, calls on citizen to exercise their civic rights, encourages internal democracy within and among political parties, appeals to the youth to desist from being used as instruments of polarized politic and urges government as well as parliament to expedite constitutional and electoral reforms in the country among others things.
Meanwhile, one of the top Sheikhs in Uganda, Hatib Mukuluwakita, also a member of the IRCU condemned the mysterious murder of their Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Hassan Kirya, which occurred on the night of June 30 and other sheikhs who have lost their lives in a series of unexplained killings recently. He urged the public to remain calm as the police investigate these killings.
By Jacinta W. Odongo, Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference
