The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) has promised to add a voice to that of the United Forces of Change to demand justice and the well-being of the people of Uganda, using their approach of privately meeting those concerned.

According to the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, the 9th Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, who doubles as the Chairperson of IRCU, they will demand justice for Ugandans, but their approach will differ.

“We have agreed to work together with the United Forces of Change to ensure that we reach out to those responsible for the Uganda we want,” Kaziimba said.

He made remarks after the indoor meeting held at the Inter-Religious Council Offices in Mengo on Monday, January 22, 2024, which hosted religious leaders from different denominations and opposition leaders under their political umbrella, the United Forces of Change.

Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, appealed to the religious leaders to take part in the demand for justice for Ugandans whose human rights have been abused by the government.

Kazimba said their meeting with the opposition leaders is not partisan in any way but a call to the responsible persons to attend to the issues that affect all people, regardless of their parties.

He also said that the Uganda they want, according to the IRCU principles, is God-fearing, educated, and peaceful, stating that they will use the pulpit and different avenues to ensure that God’s people get the attention they deserve.

“We are supposed to ensure that all God’s people are given the same attention they deserve because, in a church and mosque, all people are of different political parties. We cannot just speak out for one party. We speak for all people,” Kaziimba said.

Ssenyonyi alleged that top opposition leaders such as Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the President of the National Unity Platform; Rtd. Col. Kiiza Besigye; and Erias Lukwago, the interim President of the FDC Katonga faction, among others, did not attend the meeting because they were under house arrest and on the run.

What is the Inter-Religious Council?

The Inter-Religious Council Uganda is a network of different religious denominations that work through its leadership and structures to mobilize and organize Ugandans to work for harmony, unity, peace, prosperity, good health, and freedom for the common good.

IRCU is constituted by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), the Church of the Province of Uganda (Church of Uganda-COU), the Uganda Orthodox Church (UOC), the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), the Seventh-day Adventist Uganda Union (SDAUU), the Born Again Faith in Uganda (BAF), and the National Alliance of Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches in Uganda (NAPECU).