Politicians unworthy dying for, Archbishop Kaziimba says

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba has cautioned Ugandans not to put their lives on the line for politicians ahead of the 2021 election.

This was part of his message to Christians at the Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat at Namirembe ahead of this year’s Christmas next week.

“We are also facing elections in less than a month. And we also seem to be fighting one another. We need a truce. The fighting and violence needs to stop. As important as elections are, politics is not our salvation. Only Jesus is our salvation. His name literally means “Saviour” and he is the only one who can save us,” he said.

Adding that, “This is why I have said over and over that we need a holistic conversion of our head, heart, and hand. Only this holistic conversion will bring us “Life in its Fullness,” which will be our theme for next year.”

According to Kaziimba, elected leaders are important in any country’s governance and Christians are called upon to exercise their electoral responsibilities of voting and making their voices heard in the public square.

He however hastened to add there is need to recognize that politicians are not worth dying for. He noted that it’s only Jesus who is worth following to the point of death.

Kaziimba said that as religious leaders, they have already met with the Electoral Commission (EC), police and several political candidates and urged them to exercise restraint and promote the values of civility and respect in the way campaigns are handled.

He asked Ugandans not to be manipulated by the shallow promises of politicians or to get overly excited by campaigns or expect a human politician to be their personal savior.

The 2021 general election campaigns kicked off on November 9 and are expected to close on January 12, 2021, ahead of the elections on January 14, 2020. Uganda has witnessed violence and brutality over the past during presidential campaigns relating to the enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines and standard operating procedures.

The National Unity Platform-NUP presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu and his Forum for Democratic Change-FDC counterpart, Patrick Amuriat Oboi have been sprayed with teargas and even arrested in various places in the country during their campaign trails.

The Archbishop announced that the Church of Uganda theme for the year 2021 shall be “Life in its Fullness” derived from John 10.10, which says, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.”

“In 2020 we have seen what happens when we let sin-sick hearts be in charge, when we are stuck in old mindsets that can’t respond to the new challenges before us, when we neglect to do the right thing for the public health of everyone around us. That’s why in 2021 we will emphasize this theme of “Life in its Fullness,” he said.

URN