The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Director of Information and party spokesperson Emmanuel Lumala Dombo has criticized human rights activist and former Ethics and Integrity Minister Miria Matembe over her public remarks against church leaders following the postponement of prayers for detained opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
Dombo urged Matembe to refrain from publicly disparaging religious leaders, saying such conduct undermines respect for faith institutions.
“Hon. Miria Matembe should stop that ‘Protestant mentality’ of disparaging men of God in public,” Dombo said.
His remarks follow Matembe’s criticism of Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere over the postponement of a prayer service that had been organized to pray for Besigye and other prisoners.
Dombo defended the Archbishop’s decision, suggesting it was appropriate to heed the request of President Yoweri Museveni, whom he referred to as the “Fountain of Honour.”
“His Grace Ssemogerere may not be a coward as such, but I thought it was good courtesy to the Fountain of Honour to heed his request or proposal,” Dombo said.
He also called for the separation of politics from religious institutions, urging leaders and the public to respect the role of the church.
“Let us remove politics from the church,” he added.
The prayer service had been scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Monday at St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga but was postponed shortly before it was due to begin, prompting debate across political and religious circles.
Earlier, Matembe criticized both President Museveni and church leadership following the reported suspension of the prayers.
Speaking after the halt, she said she was not surprised by what she described as the President’s intervention, arguing that leaders often understand the symbolic and mobilizing power of collective worship.
“I am not surprised that the President stopped the prayers,” she said, suggesting that united prayer could inspire hope among supporters of the detained politician.
However, she expressed shock at what she termed fear within church leadership, questioning why senior clerics did not proceed with the planned service.
The Mass had been organized to pray for Besigye, other political prisoners and the sick. Family members, friends and political leaders who gathered at the cathedral were informed shortly before the start time that the service had been postponed.
The postponement has sparked wider discussion about the relationship between religious institutions and the state, as well as the role of faith leaders in politically sensitive matters.
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