Bishop Kamanyire Buried

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The retired Bishop Rwenzori Diocese, Dr Eustace Kamanyire, was laid to rest on Thursday bringing to a close a chapter of a man who shaped the development of the diocese.

Retired Bishop Kamanyire passed on last week at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala, more than a month after suffering a stroke early October.

Kamanyire’s burial at the St John's Cathedral’s cemetery was preceded by a funeral service that was presided over by the Right Reverend Jackson Thembo Nzerebende, the Bishop of South Rwenzori diocese, who represented the Archbishop of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali.

As early as 7:00am, hundreds of Christians started thronging the cathedral to attend the funeral service that kicked off at 10am. The compound of the cathedral was filled with mourners. More than ten tents were erected in the compound to accommodate the large number of mourners who included religious leaders, local leaders and Tooro Kingdom officials among others.

Prior to the funeral service, people paid their last respects to Kamanyire who served as Bishop for 19 years. They bowed before the casket that was inside the church. St John’s Cathedral choir sang songs of sorrow as friends, relatives and the clergy laid wreaths on the casket bearing Kamanyire’s remains.

In his sermon, Bishop Nzerebende hailed Kamanyire for promoting and protecting the family institution by condemning acts of homosexuality. Bishop Nzerebende urged the clergy to emulate Kamanyire and openly condemn the act.

In 2000, Kamanyire was banned from preaching in England over his strong opposition to the ordination of gay priests and sanctifying of gay marriages. The letter written by Right Reverend Peter Selby, the then Bishop of Worchester, banned Kamanyire from preaching or even stepping in the Diocese of Worcester.
 
After the funeral service, Kamanyire’s casket was carried to the church cemetery, where he was buried next to his late wife Irene.

Right Reverend Reuben Kisembo, the Bishop Rwenzori diocese then read to mourners a section of Kamanyire’s will. In his will, the deceased named his son, Peter Kamanyire as the heir. The young Kamanyire, who is a farmer and businessman, was then blessed by Bishop Nzerebende.

Historical Archives Centre Opens in Fort Portal

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The Centre for African Studies has set up archives to preserve the history of Tooro Kingdom and Kabarole district local government dating from 1910 to 1990s. The move follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the centre for African studies, which is located at Mountains, Tooro Kingdom and Kabarole district local government.

Under the MOU, the centre of African studies will be the custodian of the archives of both institutions. Some of the information that has been stored at the centre includes the local governmental records, colonial and postcolonial judiciary records, conduct of elections in the late 1950s and early 1960s, history of the Rwenzururu rebellion and the past population censuses in the region.

At the centre, the collections are first cleaned, sorted out in categories, catalogued before they are package and shelved.  Moses Akugizibwe, the in-charge of the centre says that there was need to set up the archives because historical information about the two institutions wasn’t stored properly. Akugizibwe says some of the documents were in a very bad state when they collected them as they were covered in dust. He says the the information at the centre will be put to better use by readers and researchers.

He says that since the centre opened two months ago, there has been a big response from the community especially students in need of historical information about the two institutions.  

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Akugizibwe says the archives will be digitized and put on the internet so that they can be accessed easily for purposes of research.

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The establishment of the centre is a relief to some members of the public, who have been finding difficulties accessing historical information especially about the past colonial government.   Benjamin Mugisa, a resident of Fort Portal says that he has in the past searched for historical information in vain. Mugisa says there is a lot of ignorance about the importance of archives adding that, there is need to sensitize members of the public about the importance, usefulness and the future of archives.

Dorothy Nyakake, the Tooro Kingdom Culture minister says the establishment of the archive centre is overdue. Nyakake says the Kingdom has been turning away several people in need of historical information because of lack space to store it. She said that there is a wide range of Tooro Kingdom knowledge which relates to the history, language culture and customs that remains unexplored because of poor preservation.

How Rwenzori Clergy Remember Bishop Kamanyire

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Dr. Eustace Kamanyire’s tenure as bishop of Rwenzori Diocese has been described by many as one of development and expansion of the Diocese.

Dr Kamanyire died on Saturday at Nakasero Hospital, some 42 days after suffering a stroke.

Save for the early years in his episcopate when he had to deal with the split in Rwenzori Diocese during the formation of the South Rwenzori Diocese in 1984, Dr Kamanyire’s 19-year episcopate has been praised by the clergy.

At the time he took over from Bishop Yonasani Rwakaikara in 1981, the diocese covered present day Kasese, Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko districts. In 1984, Kasese broke away to form South Rwenzori diocese.

Right Reverend Reuben Kisembo, the current Bishop of Rwenzori Diocese, says that during Dr Kamanyire’s time, the diocese offered scholarships to students from Tooro region to study theology. Kisembo says that had it not been for Kamanyire’s initiative, several students wouldn’t have studied because they couldn’t afford tuition fees at that time. Kisembo and his predecessor, the late Patrick Kyaligonza, were among the students.

Kisembo also says that Kamanyire trained and mentored several clergy who are currently serving in senior positions in the diocese. Bishop Kisembo says that it was the deceased who also revived the Bishop Balya Theological College in Bukuku, Kabarole district which had been poorly managed.

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Before taking over from Kyaligonza after the latter’s sudden death in an accident in 2010, Kisembo was the Principal of the theological college.

Kisembo says that even after his retirement, Kamanyire took part in church activities and was one of the people who recommended to the Church of Uganda for the creation of East Rwenzori Diocese which covers Kamwenge district.

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Rev Canon Agabus Baguma, who worked with Dr Kamanyire at St John’s Cathedral, says that the bishop played a big role in the development and expansion of Rwenzori diocese. Baguma says that more than 60 parishes were created in the diocese during Kamanyire’s time.

Baguma also says that Kamanyire advocated for upholding of the Christian values, which explains why even after his retirement he remained a strong anti-gay crusader.

Baguma cites an incident in 2000, when Kamanyire received a letter banning him from preaching in a church in England over his opposition to the ordination of gay priests and sanctifying of gay marriage.

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Dr. Kamanyire will be buried on Thursday at St John’s Cathedral Fort Portal next to his wife Irene, who passed away in May this year.

At his requiem service at Namirembe Cathedral on Monday, Dr George Tibesigwa, the retired Bishop of Ankole, described Kamanyire and principled and development-minded. Tibesigwa was among Kamanyire’s students when he was a tutor and later principal of Bishop Tucker Theological College between 1971 and 1977. Other students include retired Bishops Balagadde Ssekadde of Namirembe Diocese and Dunstan Mutebi of Mityana Diocese among others.

Born in January 1935, Kamanyire had his early education in Tooro before joining Bishop Balya Theological College in Kabarole district. From there he went to Bishop Tucker College, the present day Uganda Christian University, Mukono. He was ordained a priest in 1962 before being selected to go to Canada for further studies in 1964.

In Canada, he was awarded a degree in Theology from Western Ontario University and another one in Political Science from the University of Toronto. He relocated to California in the USA for his Masters in the Most Sacred Theology. He went back to Toronto for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) which he was awarded in 1986.

In 1977, after the killing of Archbishop Janan Luwum, Kamanyire ran into exile in Kenya, from where he enrolled as a tutor at Mathieno Theological College. He returned to Uganda after the overthrow of Idi Amin and was appointed the Provincial Development Coordinator for the Church of Uganda. In 1980 he was elected Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, a position he held until his election as Bishop of Rwenzori in 1981.

In 2001, Kamanyire founded Sunrise Orphanage home in Karamaga, Fort Portal municipality. The home looks after children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

He leaves behind three children; two daughters and a son.

Bishop Kamanyire Dead

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Retired Bishop of Ruwenzori Diocese, Dr Eustance Kamanyire, is dead.

The 79-year-old prelate who became popular for his strong views against homosexuality died this morning at Case Clinic in Kampala, where he has been bedridden for over a month. Kamanyire’s nephew, Maxwell Chrysolite Kamanyire, posted a message on Facebook saying the bishop passed away today at 5:45am.  Peter Kamanyire, the bishop's son, says his father suffered a stroke on October 4th at his home in Fort Portal and was rushed to Nsambya Hospital but doctors there recommended his transfer to Case Clinic.

Kamanyire says his father spent two weeks in the intensive care unit at Case Unit and was taken out of the unit when his condition improved. According to Kamanyire, the deceased’s condition worsened when he developed breathing difficulties on Wednesday night and was taken back to the intensive care unit.

Dr Kamanyire served as Bishop of Ruwenzori Diocese from 1981 to 2000. He was replaced by Bishop Benezeri Kisembo who also retired in 2009. Kamanyire was last seen in public in September during King Oyo’s 18th Coronation anniversary.

In 2000, Kamanyire was banned from preaching in England over his strong opposition to the ordination of gay priests and sanctifying of gay marriages.

In June 2000, Dr Kamanyire received a letter banning him from preaching in a church in England over his opposition to the ordination of gay priests and sanctifying of gay marriage. The letter written by Right Reverend Peter Selby, the then Bishop of Worchester, banned Kamanyire from preaching or even stepping in the Diocese of Worcester.   Bishop Selby in a statement said Dr Kamanyire went to the Diocese on June 25, 2000 to take part in a high profile confirmation service and to support the vicar of the Diocese Rev Charles Raven on his stand against homosexuality.

Since his retirement in 2000, Kamanyire has been doing charity work with a number of organizations in Fort Portal. One of the charities he founded is Sunrise House, a home for middle school-aged children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

In August this year, he participated in a three-day retreat for Retired bishops of the church of Uganda at Rest Gardens in Bweyogerere. It was their first retreat since retirement.

The three-day event from August 13 to 15 was a platform for them to share experiences, gain skills on managing retirement and chart a way forward in form of recommendations. They discussed, among other recommendations, the centralization in the provincial office of pension and send-off packages for retired bishops, creating a directory of the church leaders for coordination purposes and frequent retreats for the retired bishops.

Dr Kamanyire took the lead role as the prelates resolved to form a fellowship of retired bishops whose work is to lead to the formation of the church of Uganda retired bishops forum.

MPs Order Kabarole District To Recover UGX 300M

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The local government accounts committee of parliament has ordered Kabarole district to recover 300 million shillings it advanced to staff.


According to the Auditor General’s report of 2011, in the 2001/2002 financial year, a total of 323 million shillings was advanced to 21 district staff and were supposed to pay back the funds in a period of one year. However the district managed to recover only 23 million shillings.

The committee chaired by the Rukiga County MP, Jack Sabiti put to task Nicholas Ochakara, Kabarole district Chief Administrative Officer, to explain why the remaining funds had never been recovered.

In his response, Ochakara told the MPs that the district failed to recover the funds because some of the district staff who were given the funds died, retired, while others were transferred to other districts. Ochakara also stunned the committee when he said that he had proposed to the district council to waive repayment of the funds.

His revelations didn’t go down well with the committee, who accused the district technical staff of misusing tax payer’s money.

Peter Ogwal, the Youth Eastern MP, said that the district should be given six months to recover the money and that the district council should reject the CAO’s proposal of waiving repayment of the funds. Ogwal said that the balance is too much and can used to improve on service delivery in the district.

Ogwal also said that the committee received information that some of the staff who were advanced the funds are still working at the district, but have stubbornly refused to refund the money.

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The committee also put Ochakara to task to explain to them why the district chairperson, Richard Rwabuhinga was in 2011 advanced a loan of 10 million shillings using district coffers to purchase a personal vehicle. However Ochakara said that Rwabuhinga didn’t have an official car, so the district executive committee resolved to advance him a loan and that he is still paying back the loan in installments.

Abdi Fadhil Kisos Chemaswet, the Kween County MP, accused the technical staff of diverting money to non-priority sectors. He said that the money advanced to the district chairperson to purchase a car, should have been used to equip health facilities.

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Other queries raised by the attorney general include the failure by the district public accounts committee to present its reports to the council and the district technical staff reporting late for work, which leads to delays in implementation of activities and failure to meet council targets.

Huge Expectations Await King Oyo

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Huge expectations await the King of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, as he settles in his kingdom after completion of studies.

Last month, King Oyo graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Winchester University in the United Kingdom, where he has been studying for the past three years.

While pursuing his studies, the 21-year-old King was being helped to manage the kingdom by two regents, Rev. Richard Baguma and Mzee Epafura Mugasa. King Oyo’s education abroad was in the past criticized by some of his subjects who argued that he should emulate his grandfather, Sir George Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III and father Patrick David Mathew Kaboyo Olimi III who were educated at Nyakasura School and King's College Budo.

However, since Oyo has completed his studies, some of his subjects have high expectations in him. Geoffrey Mugisa, a resident of Fort Portal says King Oyo should use this opportunity to attract investors to the Kingdom and promote tourism to the outside world. Mugisa says the Kingdom has large chunks of land that should be utilized to increase the revenue base of the Kingdom.


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Richard Katuramu, another resident says the King should be closer to his subjects and permanently reside at his palace in Fort Portal.  Katuramu says when the King was away, there were conflicts which affected the administration of the Kingdom. He also says when King Oyo is close to his subjects, it will inspire the youth to remain in school and work for the kingdom.

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Eunice Kaakyo says King Oyo should now embark on the implementation of his five year development plan which includes improving food security in homes and availing employment opportunities to the youths.

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Asked what plans he had for the Kingdom since he has completed his studies, Steven Kaliba, the Tooro Prime Minister, says King Oyo will now have the time to personally oversee the development of his Kingdom and be close to his subjects.

Kaliba however says the Kingdom authorities can’t dictate on King Oyo permanently residing at his palace in Fort Portal as his subjects demand. He says it will be Oyo to decide where he wants to live.

Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, the head of the royal clan and Oyo’s paternal uncle, says that since the King isn’t occupied with studies, he should also get close to his relatives. Kamurasi says it’s a shame that Oyo doesn’t know some of his close relatives, 18 years after he was installed on the throne of his forefathers.

Tooro Kingdom Subjects Burn Red Pepper Over Failed Komuntale Marriage

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Tooro Kingdom subjects have this morning burnt copies of the Red Pepper newspaper in Fort Portal town protesting what they call negative publicity of the failed marriage of Princess Ruth Komuntale and Christopher Thomas.

Last week both Thomas Christopher and Princess Komuntale posted statements on their Facebook walls confirming that indeed their marriage was over. In her post, Komuntale accuses Thomas of being promiscuous and physically and emotionally abusive. The failed marriage attracted media attention.

This morning more than 15 members of the Tooro Local Parliament bought more than 200 copies of the Red Pepper and set them ablaze in the centre of Fort Portal town, as they sang the Tooro Kingdom anthem.

The Tooro Local Parliament is a pressure group that advocates for good governance and human rights in the Tooro region. It comprises of the youths. Tooro Local Parliament is not affiliated to the official Tooro Kingdom Parliament (Orukurato).

Alfred Kamanyire, the deputy speaker of the Tooro parliament, argues that it was wrong for the Red Pepper to publicise the failure of Princess Komuntale and Thomas's marriage with intimate details. He believes the publication was an insult to King Oyo and Tooro Kingdom.

According to Kamanyire, they will start a campaign to urge the Batooro to boycott buying the newspaper, which he says is a disgrace to Tooro.

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Vincent Mugume, the Tooro Kingdom deputy information minister, told Uganda Radio Network that the actions of the members was justified, because any attack on the King is an attack on the Batooro. He also said that although it’s true that the marriage had ended, some of the stories published by the Red Pepper were false.

The Red Pepper News Editor, Ben Byarabaha, said that the publication has been fair to the Princess Komuntale and Tooro Kingdom. He said that what was published by Red Pepper was sourced from Princess Komuntale and Christopher Thomas's facebook walls. Therefore its wrong for the members of the Tooro Local Parliament to burn copies of the paper. He also said that by burning the copies, they are depriving the people of Tooro information.

In 2009, the Buganda Kingdom, Lukiiko urged the people of Buganda to boycott buying Bukedde and the New Vision newspapers, over a story it published alleging that a cabinet Minister in the central government was holding the Bulange land title over a one billion shilling debt the Kabaka Ronald Mutebi had obtained from the unnamed Minister to run his private business.