JASON MUGIZI: Guarding the Sacred Silence: Why the Church Must Resist Campaigns for the Next Archbishop

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion article by Jason Mugizi arguing that the Church of Uganda should avoid public campaigning and political-style lobbying as it prepares for the eventual succession of Archbishop Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu. The article says Kaziimba is conducting pastoral farewell visits across dioceses ahead of his mandatory retirement in August 2027, a transition the writer says should be treated as a matter of prayer and ecclesiastical discernment rather than public competition.

Mugizi’s commentary warns that discussion around the choice of the Church of Uganda’s 10th Archbishop is increasingly borrowing the language of secular politics, including speculation about regional balance, ethnic considerations, alliances and preferred candidates. He argues that the office is a spiritual vocation, not a prize to be won, and says the Church’s credibility could be weakened if the process appears shaped by the same divisions it often challenges in public life.

The article cites the Church of Uganda’s constitutional and canonical framework, noting that the Archbishop is elected by the House of Bishops and that a candidate must secure a two-thirds majority. It also says the canons limit an Archbishop’s tenure to 10 years or until the mandatory retirement age of 65, whichever comes first, as a safeguard for continuity and renewal.

Mugizi also references retired Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, who reportedly cautioned the Uganda Christian University community against ambition and premature campaigning. The central appeal of the piece is for restraint, allowing the bishops to deliberate quietly and prioritise spiritual maturity, doctrinal fidelity, integrity, humility and pastoral wisdom.