Sembabule, Uganda: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Sam Kahamba Kutesa is under heavy criticism after funding the construction of a multi-million shilling state-of-the-art church in his home district of Ssembabule, instead of investing in a health facility, which many residents and critics argue is a more urgent need.
On Sunday, April 27, Kutesa, in partnership with the Patel family, proprietors of Tororo Cement, hosted President Museveni for the official commissioning of the grand All Saints Church in Ssembabule.
During a Thanksgiving service held at the new church, Kutesa gave a heartfelt testimony about his battle with a life-threatening throat cancer. He revealed that after his diagnosis, he underwent six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in Munich, Germany, and credited his recovery to divine intervention.
“It was God’s grace that saved me from the grip of death. Building a church in my home diocese is my way of expressing gratitude to God,” Kutesa told the congregation.
However, his gesture has triggered a storm of criticism on social media and among public figures, with many questioning his priorities.
Gabriel Buule, a journalist and human rights activist, castigated Kutesa’s move, noting the irony in seeking medical treatment abroad but choosing to construct a church instead of a hospital back home.
“It is so absurd that Kutesa had to fly to Germany for treatment, yet after getting healed, he comes back and builds a church. Ironically, when he was diagnosed, he rushed to the hospital, not to a church,” Buule said, accusing the former minister of hypocrisy.
Similarly, political commentator and cartoonist Jim Spire Ssentongo argued that while building a church is a noble act, it was poorly timed and misplaced. “Building a church was the right thing, but at the wrong time and in the wrong place. It is not in any way an emergency need,” Spire said.
Comparisons have also been drawn between Kutesa and Samuel Leeds, a British national who, after surviving a serious accident in Jinja, was so dismayed by Uganda’s emergency healthcare that he donated a Shs 1 billion hospital ward to Jinja City.
Critics argue that Kutesa’s philanthropy lacks the practical philosophy needed to address the community’s most pressing needs.
Despite the backlash, a section of some Ugandans have defended Kutesa, saying he has the right to choose how to spend his money and that building a church to thank God is a deeply personal decision that should not be politicized.
About Kutesa
Sam Kutesa is a seasoned politician and diplomat, having served not only as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs but also as the country’s ambassador to the United Nations. Notably, on 11 June 2014, Kutesa was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 69th session in New York.
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