Church to select new Luweero Bishop after Rev Kasana’s disqualification

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Church of Uganda (CoU) Provincial Secretariat has set new dates for the nomination, election and consecration of the new Bishop of Luweero Diocese after the consecration of bishop-elect Rev Godfrey Kaana was suspended over unclear reasons.

According to the Provincial Secretary, Rev. Can. Capt. William Ongeng, the House of Bishops that convened in Hoima District on June 28, 2023, decided to revoke the election of Rev Can Kasana and hold a fresh election process.

“The House of Bishops has ordered fresh nominations from the nomination committee within a period of one month ending July 31, 2023,” Rev Can Ongeng said in a June 30 communique.

He noted that the House of Bishops will receive fresh nominations for the next Luweero bishop effective July 1 and conduct the elections on August 1, 2023.

The selection process according to the new program released will climax with the consecration of the newly elected Luweero bishop on Sunday, August 6, 2023, at St Mark’s Cathedral in Luweero District.

The development comes after the disqualification of Rev Godfrey Kasana Ssemakaul as the 4th bishop of the diocese over adultery claims and fathering children with two mistresses outside the wedlock.

A petition submitted to the House of Bishops claimed that although 52-year-old Rev Kasana married officially in the 1990s, he had been maintaining relationships with two other women, with whom he had sons.

According to the petition, one of the women has two boys and continues to ask the Reverend for financial support. Evidence gathered by the petitioners allegedly included text messages from the mother of the two boys, requesting money to buy soda, pay TV subscription, do hair, buy sigiri, transport as well as airtime and food.

Following the petition, the Anglican bishops convened at Kabalega Resort in Hoima District on June 28, 2023, and decided Rev Kasana was unfit to become a bishop.

However, according to Rev Can Ongeng, the extraordinary decision to revoke Rev Kasana as the Bishop-elect was due to credible information received that he was misrepresented during the nomination and selection process.

As the search for another candidate gets underway, DailyExpress has learnt that Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba will in the meantime oversee the diocese when the current bishop’s term ends this month.