Exiled lawyer and activist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has congratulated President Yoweri Museveni’s daughter, Patience Rwabwogo, on her consecration as a bishop while challenging her to use her new position to confront alleged abuses linked to her family’s rule.
In a lengthy message following Rwabwogo’s consecration, Kakwenza questioned whether her new ecclesiastical authority would extend beyond the church and into issues affecting Ugandans, particularly political prisoners, torture victims, disappeared citizens and people living in exile.
“Dear Patience Rwabwogo Museveni, congratulations on your consecration as Bishop,” Kakwenza wrote.
He acknowledged that he had limited knowledge of church hierarchies and the process through which Rwabwogo attained the position, but said her new office carried a significant moral responsibility.
Kakwenza then challenged the newly consecrated bishop to begin by confronting what he described as wrongdoing within her own family.
“But now that you are a Bishop, with that magnificent crozier in your hand and the mitre sitting authoritatively over your head, perhaps charity should begin at the State House Entebbe,” he said.
He asked whether Rwabwogo could use her position to challenge her father’s administration and the conduct of her brother, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who serves as Uganda’s military commander.
“Can you use that shepherd's staff to beat away the demons of your father's rule over Ugandans?” Kakwenza asked.
He alleged that Ugandans had been subjected to imprisonment, torture and disappearance, while others had been forced into exile. He also referred to his own experience in exile and alleged that Muhoozi had previously made social media posts about people being held in his basement.
Kakwenza further placed the case of opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye at the centre of his message, questioning what Rwabwogo’s Christian conscience would tell her about the veteran politician’s treatment.
Besigye served as Museveni’s personal doctor during the bush war before later becoming one of his most prominent political opponents.
“And what goes through your Christian conscience when you look at Kizza Besigye?” Kakwenza asked, describing the situation as particularly striking given Besigye’s past service to Museveni.
He argued that Rwabwogo’s consecration had significance beyond the religious ceremony because of the concentration of power and influence within the Museveni family.
“Your father is President. Your brother is a General and commander of the army. You are now a Bishop,” he wrote, while also referring to First Lady Janet Museveni’s previous role in government.
Kakwenza said the accumulation of titles within one family stood in contrast to what he described as Uganda’s continuing political and institutional challenges.
He argued that Rwabwogo’s greatest test as a bishop would be whether she could recognise and challenge wrongdoing even when those involved were members of her own family.
“A Bishop should recognise evil even when it shares her surname,” he wrote.
Kakwenza concluded by urging Rwabwogo to use her new position for what he described as meaningful moral intervention rather than ceremonial recognition.
“Congratulations again, Bishop Patience. You have the title, the mitre and the crozier. Begin the exorcism at home,” he said.