Pentecostal pastors a few days ago launched a campaign to pressure President Museveni to reopen churches. They started wearing sacks to demonstrate their dissatisfaction against the continued closure of churches.
They say it is unfair since the government has opened markets and places like Kikuubo which are highly congested yet the churches are not as congested. Markets pose a higher risk to #coronavirus infection than places of worship.
Pastor Kiganda, the founder Christian Focus Ministries had earlier posted a picture on his social media handle wearing sackcloth with inscriptions “I can’t breathe”. In the book of Esther, sackcloth was used as a symbol of mourning and depravation.
He says that the worshipping places have been closed for far too long yet, these are places of comfort to the hopeless people who have been badly affected by the lock-down.
‘’I think churches should be reopened because this nation needs prayers. Opening Kikuubo market exposes Ugandans to high health risks than any church in this country because it’s too congested.’’ Bishop David Kiganda explained.
He has swayed other pastors and religious leaders to join him in the repentance and lamentation campaign against the unfairness of stakeholders responsible for ignoring the pleas of the Christians.
He added that although many churches adjusted to the pandemic by holding virtual or televised church services, it is not effective and so expensive to ministers who don’t own media stations.
He added that although many churches adjusted to the pandemic by holding virtual or televised church services, it is not effective and so expensive to ministers who don’t own media stations.
This campaign comes at the time when many countries in Africa have already spiritualized the virus especially in Tanzania. Efforts to “spiritualize” the virus have been accelerated by the Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli who described COVID-19 as a demon seeking to destroy Tanzanian's livelihoods.
These religious leaders in Uganda argue that the government should try their faith saying that Coronavirus cannot survive in the Body where Jesus lives. They therefore advised that the churches should be left open since these are places where Jesus lives just as what Tanzania did.
In the same spirit of petitioning the government, The National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches’ overseer, Joshua Lwere says claimed that they have developed standard operating procedures which all churches will adhere to once they are reopened.
“Churches are organized places and when we are reopened, we have developed Standard Operating Procedures for both rural and urban churches. We are going to submit them to the authorities for review,” says Bishop Lwere.
He added that the SOPs have been discussed by the Inter-religious Council members. These arrangements will guide congregants on how to sit in churches, enter and exit worshipping places, social distancing and other health requirements before, during, and after church services.
However, The State Minister for Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the President, Father Simon Lokodo said that the government has no intentions of restraining freedom of worship as most religious devotees claim.
He added that this policy is bringing rationality to religious institutions in Uganda which among others include Muslims, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists and Pentecostals.
Some sources argue that the churches are still closed because of the incompliance of the so called ‘’faithful’’ to COVID-19 preventive measures. They do not believe that Coronavirus exists, a propaganda spread by the self-styled prophets.
Taking an example from Central Africa, Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa was criticized for assuring his followers that they will be “spared” from the virus through prayer and the divine protection he mediates.He granted their safety from the virus threat because Jesus is involved in the situation.
According to the majority, this sense of Pentecostal “exceptionalism” clearly risks the Ugandan citizens who have been safe since the time the first COVID-19 case was confirmed on 21st March 2020 rendering the efforts of the President and the Ministry of Health futile.
This clearly shows the reason why the Uganda government is apprehensive to whether the self styled prophets and healers of Kampala will pass on the right information to their congregants.
In other words, the government is scared of Pastors spreading misinformation as it has been done in the other parts of the Africa.
The reports from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also show that churches have been major spots for the spread of the COVI-19.
At a rural church in Arkansas, over 40 percent of its congregants contracted Coronavirus in mid-March after attending a Sunday service where the pastor was infected.
Many church leaders who defied CDC warnings, contracted COVID-19 and a number of them died.
CDC has therefore advised that churches remain shut down and not to be in any beautiful rush to reopen.
However, some Pentecostal Pastors like Solomon Male say that these pastors lamenting for the reopening of churches are not concerned about the well-being of their already suffering followers but rather want to achieve their selfish interests.
They are just worried about losing their commercial empires built using funds they extorted from followers. Their pockets are running dry and once the churches remain closed, their financial status will worsen and the public will realize that they have been stealing from the congregantion.
"What is wrong with praying from home? These so-called ministers of God are fraudsters who are now scheming for ways to milk money out of their blindfolded followers. The lockdown had separated them from their cash cow" Male told the media.
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