Kibuku, Uganda: Religious and political leaders have called on parents across the Bukedi sub-region to take greater responsibility for educating their children, warning that without an educated generation, the ongoing translation of the Bible into Lugwere will have little meaning for future generations.
The call was made during the 9th Lugwere Bible Day celebrations held on Wednesday, July 30, 2026, at Kibuku Primary School in Kibuku District.
The celebrations were presided over by the Bishop of Bukedi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Samuel George Bogere Egessa, and brought together Members of Parliament, district leaders, religious leaders, education stakeholders, cultural leaders and Christians from across the Bukedi sub-region.
The Speaker of the 12th Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth, who had been invited as the chief guest, was unable to attend due to official engagements. He delegated Kibuku District Woman MP, Hon. Katooko Sylvia Damba, to represent him and deliver his message.
In the Speaker’s message, read by Katooko, Parliament commended the Lugwere Bible Translation and Language Development Organisation for its commitment to translating the Bible into Lugwere, describing the exercise as both a spiritual mission and a national responsibility.
The Speaker noted that the Lugwere New Testament, launched in 2017, had enabled thousands of Christians to read and understand God’s Word in their mother tongue. He appealed to Christians, institutions and development partners to support the completion of the Old Testament translation, saying preserving indigenous languages strengthens Uganda’s cultural heritage, promotes literacy and enhances national unity.
Before reading the Speaker’s message, Katooko urged parents to stop referring to their children as “government’s children” and instead take full responsibility for their upbringing and education.
She said while Government supports education through Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE), parents remain responsible for providing meals, school uniforms, scholastic materials and other basic requirements.
“The President has no child in primary or secondary school today. His children are now parents who are educating their own children. We should therefore stop saying these are government children and instead fulfil our responsibilities as parents,” Katooko said.
She also conveyed apologies from Kabweri County Member of Parliament Dr. Wakida Patrick Godfrey, saying he was unable to attend after doctors advised him to take bed rest due to illness. According to Damba, the legislator promised to attend next year’s celebrations.
Representing Kibuku District Chairperson Hajji Nakeba Muhamad, Vice Chairperson Hon. Bashir Nangheje warned that the declining commitment of parents towards education poses a serious threat to the future of the Bukedi region.
“If we, as the people of Bugwere and Bukedi, do not stand up for education, we shall continue celebrating Lugwere Bible anniversaries and complete the translation of the Bible, but we may not have a generation capable of reading it,” Nangheje said.
He explained that although Government provides tuition in government-aided schools, it cannot meet every need, including providing school buses, fencing schools and feeding learners.
Nangheje said the Education Act allows parents to meet and agree on contributions to support schools where necessary and urged those who report schools over such agreed contributions to desist from the practice, warning that it could undermine education standards in the region.
The Member of Parliament for Iki-Iki County, Hon. Abdu Swaibu Kampanya, attended the celebrations on behalf of Members of Parliament from the Bukedi sub-region and conveyed apologies from legislators who were unable to attend due to other official commitments.
Budaka Deputy Resident District Commissioner Stephen Ogwang also challenged parents to fulfil their responsibilities before blaming teachers for poor academic performance.
He said Government alone cannot provide every necessity required by learners and urged parents to provide meals, uniforms and scholastic materials to enable children to learn effectively.
In his sermon, Rt. Rev. Samuel George Bogere Egesa said education remains the foundation for producing future leaders and appealed to parents to keep every child in school. “If we fail to educate our children today, we shall have no future leaders from Bukedi,” he said.
The bishop also challenged Christians to protect the environment by planting trees, saying the Church owns large tracts of land that should not remain idle. He said the Diocese is mobilising Christians at family, sub-parish, parish, archdeaconry and diocesan levels to plant 15 million trees.
“We own a lot of land, but much of it is vacant. If we leave it idle, people will grab it. Uganda’s population has grown from about eight million at Independence to nearly 50 million today, yet the land has remained the same,” he said.
Rt. Rev. Egessa further called on Christians to pray for the Church of Uganda as it prepares for the retirement of seven bishops, including the Archbishop, in 2027.
He said he would also retire on March 25, 2028, after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 65, but stressed that retirement from office does not mean retiring from serving God.
“I will hand over the office of Bishop of Bukedi Diocese, but I will never retire from preaching the Gospel. I will continue preaching and advocating for quality education,” he said.
The bishop also expressed concern over growing corruption, saying the vice has infiltrated even the Church and called on Christians and leaders to uphold integrity and faithful service.
Speaking to DailyExpress, the Chairperson of the Lugwere Bible Translation and Language Development Organisation, Bishop Vincent Watolya, said steady progress has been made in translating the Lugwere Bible.
He said the Lugwere New Testament was fully translated and launched in 2017. By last year, 10 books of the Old Testament had been translated.
“Currently, 20 books of the Old Testament have been translated into Lugwere, and 14 of those books can already be accessed on smartphones,” Watolya said. He explained that with 20 of the 39 books of the Old Testament already translated, only 19 books remain before the entire Bible is available in Lugwere.
Watolya appealed to Christians, churches, institutions and well-wishers to continue supporting the translation work financially and technically to enable completion of the project.
The celebrations were also attended by cultural leaders from the Bakenye Cultural Heritage and Obwa Ikumbania, alongside local government leaders, clergy, education stakeholders and Christians from across the Bukedi sub-region.
The annual Lugwere Bible Day commemorates the publication of the Lugwere New Testament in 2017 and serves as a platform to mobilise support for completing the translation of the Old Testament into Lugwere while promoting the Lugwere language, Christian values and cultural heritage.
Background
The Lugwere Bible Translation and Language Development Organisation launched the Lugwere New Testament in 2017 after years of translation work. Since then, efforts have shifted to translating the Old Testament, with 20 of its 39 books now completed. The project is regarded as one of the most significant language preservation initiatives in Bugwere, aimed at making Scripture more accessible while promoting literacy and safeguarding the Lugwere language for future generations.
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