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New Vision

Church speaks out on Kabaka's son

Publish Date: Jan 25, 2012

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  Kabaka Mutebi and prince Semakookiro
  By Norman Katende
  
  The Church of Uganda is non-committal on whether the Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, is still free to receive Holy Communion after siring a child out of wedlock. Senior Church of Uganda clerics at the Provincial Office, Namirembe Diocese as well as Namirembe Cathedral, who were interviewed yesterday, said it was not within their mandate to say whether the Kabaka can still receive the Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist.
  
  Under the Anglican faith, the Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continued remembrance of his life, death and resurrection, until his coming again. Only those who have repented their sins are
  eligible to partake of the Holy Communion. Both Catholic and Anglican churches bar openly polygamous men from receiving Holy Communion.
  
  The Kabaka wedded Sylvia Nagginda Luswata at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe in 1999. However, the Katikkiro of Buganda Eng. J.B. Walusimbi last week announced that the Kabaka had been blessed with a baby boy, Prince Richard Ssemakookiro. Revealing that the baby was born in July last year, the Katikkiro, however, didn’t identity the baby’s mother. He only indicated she belonged to the Nsenene (grasshopper) clan.
  
  However, investigations by New Vision have since revealed that the baby’s mother is called Rose Nansikombi, a daughter of Ssalongo George Edward Sserebe and Nnalongo Christine Nalubanjwa of Bamunanika, Luwero. Rev. Can. Dr. Alison Barfoot, the director of Communications in the Provincial Church of Uganda, said matters relating to the Kabaka were not for the Archbishop or the Provincial office, but for Namirembe Diocese.
  
  “That (matter) is not under the jurisdiction of the province. You have to contact the diocesan secretary,” said Allison.
  On his part, the Diocesan secretary Rev. Can. Nelson Kawesa, said it was not within his mandate to comment on the Kabaka. Instead he referred New Vision to Namirembe Cathedral where Kabaka’s wedding was held.
  
  “That is a liturgical matter which is not under my mandate. I only deal with the administrative issues in the diocese. You should refer that to the cathedral where he was wed,” said Kaweesa. But the assistant Vicar of Namirembe cathedral, Rev. David Sekiziyivu equally distanced himself from the issue, saying the person to talk about it is the retired Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.
  
  “That is a tricky issue which I cannot comment about. The best person to comment about it is the retired Archbishop (Nkoyoyo) who presided over their wedding,” Sekiziyivu said. Nkoyoyo earlier was quoted saying he wouldn’t comment about the matter.
  
  “I am the one who wed them and I cannot comment about it,” said Nkoyoyo when the news broke out that the Kabaka had been blessed with a baby boy.
  
  New Vision’s sister paper, Bukedde quoted retired Bishop of Mukono Diocese Rt. Rev. Paul Luzinda saying that the Kabaka had committed a sin and should repent for what he had done.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Repentance Has Cleansing Power Unlike A Sponge Or Stone

Confession of sin to God, Our Father, and repenting, we bathe in the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever spent two or more days without taking a shower or a bath? Say it is summer time and the heat wave is on? Think about it. That is how we are spiritually in the eyes of God. We become so dirty, so unholy that our spirit smells from a distance so that we cannot approach the Holy God. What is surprising, this unholiness, this spiritual dirt is not visible to the natural or naked eye! You may see a good looking man well dressed and well shaven with good smelling after shave, cologne, but deep inside, he may be smelly and rotting! Likewise you may see a beautiful woman and well dressed with perhaps the right make up, right hairstyle and even jewelry. But she may be smelly and rotting inside! That tells you and  that it is quite difficult to know a person's spiritual state just from seeing them. Sometimes you may talk to them and then find out their spiritual state from the language and words they use.

Sometimes it is so obvious for a person's dirt and it is visible to everyone. Dark spots settle on your body wherever there is a folding. Sometimes the stench that is coming from a man or woman is so much that everyone else gets as far away from them. I take buses everyday in Southern California, but there is a certain bus route that has smelly buses because of many homeless, dirty people and drunk people who get on it. Day in, day out, these buses are so smelly, you just have to hold your breath and pray for the end of the route - 25 - 30 minutes!

Sometime we may not even know that there is a smell coming off our bodies, until someone lets us know! my dear Grandmother, Manjeri Mwagale, would say sometimes in my teens that Jessica, today you have a bad smell coming from you. She would ask me to wash my body thoroughly. She recommended some herbs that purge away the smell when used as soap. Remember David in Psalm 51 asked God to purge him with hyssop (Ezov in Hebrew). Until one washes off the dirt with soap and water, perhaps and a sponge or a stone, then cleanliness sets in. While you are taking a bath or shower, you may see so much dirt off your body. I have often wondered about this. Why is this dirt not so visible many times? 

Confession and repentance is needed daily and as often as we realize sin. We wash our hands every time after the bathroom, after contamination, and every before a meal so that we are clean. 

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

It is only God, our Father, Most Holy who can show us the spiritual dirt that we cannot see in our lives. Since He is Holy, as we approach Him, our unholiness is magnified, and we can only get near to Him when we confess our sins, repent and ask for His forgiveness.

Luganda Hymn: Luyimba:

Nsanyuse, nsanyuse, Yesu yanaazako ebibi.

Yanjagaza byayagala.

ansanyusa ennaku zonna.

Nsanyuse, nsanyuse, Yesu yanazaako ebibi.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:17)

Mu musaayi, munaabe, ogubanazaako ebibi.

Rev. Jessica Nakawombe

hyssop family