The news of the proposed national policy on religious and faith based organizations came as a shocker to many preachers especially among the Pentecostal community. Some of them are now asking President Museveni to transfer State Minister for Integrity Father Simon Lokodo to another ministry.
“We request that H.E the President considers the transfer of Hon Father Simon Lokodo to another ministry,” Pastor David Kiganda of Christian Focus Centre stated.
But Father Lokodo told journalists Tuesday that the proposed policy was not his idea as alleged.
“They say that Father Lokodo must go away from Ethics and Integrity and maybe it will bring about the death and disappearance of policy, no! This is a government policy,” Lokodo said.
Lokodo said there was a lot of extortion, exploitation of money, bad guidance and many other things in churches.
Lokodo said precautionary measures were vital if incidents like Kibwetere’s were to be avoided. Kibwetere was the Leader of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God hundreds of whose members perished in 2000 in a fire in what was described as a religious mass suicide.
“We want churches to be transparent,” Lokodo added.
Father Lokodo also feels that anyone who preaches the word of God should attain some level of religious education.
“They can’t even read. They only preach what they have in their head,” he said.
