Uganda: Clergymen Wired for Scandal

The Monitor (Kampala)
COLUMN28 July 2007
Posted to the web 28 July 2007 ; By Justice Malebbe
allafrica.com

These days, a day hardly passes before another scandal involving clergymen hits the pages of a newspaper. The frequency with which it happens suggests that either the media is now ever more vigilant in scouring for news about an otherwise existing problem, or that the clergymen we have today are degenerating so badly, so fast, that very soon they will not have the moral pedestal to stand on and preach to their congregations because of ethical deficiencies.

These scandals are so diverse in nature to include alleged practicing of witchcraft, breaking of the celibacy vows, adultery, polygamy, polyandry, bigamy, wife and husband snatching, extortion, murder, obtaining money, goods and services by false pretence, sodomy, murder e.t.c.

Matters are not helped by the extremely flamboyant and opulent lifestyles they lead, in deep contrast to the majority of the poor, tithe-abiding congregations they lead. Apart from the flashy cars, clothes and mansions, many a clergyman is alleged to have extensive loads of cash stashed away in accounts in banks abroad, courtesy of their perennial begging sprees from unsuspecting and only too willing foreign donors under the guise of using funds to look after Aids orphans, spreading the good word of the Lord through radio and television, building schools, hospitals, churches e.t.c.

Our countrymen are certainly God-fearing and will not hesitate to contribute their hard earned cash to Godly causes

This seems to be the Achilles heel that some of these clergymen have discovered and are now on rampage to fleece their unsuspecting flock, under the guise of using the Lord's name.

Honestly, it is only a shameless manipulator who will stand in front of a church and suggest that for people to get God's blessings for either prosperity or good health, they should put specific sums of cash in the church basket. As a matter of fact, with tongue in cheek, the manipulators will even advise on the lowest accepted amounts one should put in the basket! Where does this leave the very poor that Jesus so much loved in his ministry?

As if this is not bad enough, some of these fellows are lecherous and have broken many homes. This they have done by invoking the Lord's name to suggest that unhappy couples were mismatched from the word go. To circumvent this situation, the wives need to free themselves from the yoke of a loveless marriage.

They should then come to the church, where the clergymen will "pray" for them to obtain truly ordained husbands from God. Fast forward and you will find that these clergymen are maintaining harems of unsuspecting victims, each one thinking that she alone has an illicit affair with the clergyman, which secret she should jealously guard! Now comes the story of the times, in which a clergyman has been found with an electric gadget to use in shocking his flock, in a simulation of exorcising demons.

To my amazement and shock, I read early last week, a story in the newspapers about an incident in which it was alleged that a clergyman had locked the body of his just deceased estranged wife in his house to prevent her relatives from giving her a decent send off and burial.
Not until they first surrendered the land title to the house that the deceased owned, which he now forcefully wanted to inherit! It took some tough persuasion from the police before he could relent and release the body. It will not take long before another story pops up, because it seems Ugandan clergymen are truly wired for scandal!

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