Refusing to vote is betraying yourselves — Busoga bishop Lubaale

JINJA - Refusing to participate in the General Election slated for this Thursday, January 15, 2026, is selling your country and betraying yourselves, Busoga bishop, the Rt. Rev. Prof. Grace Lubaale has said. 

Lubaale, who will cast his vote from his country home in Butansi, Kamuli district, says Ugandans shouldn’t trust people who don’t want to decide their leaders through the ballot.

Without mincing his words, the bishop likened such individuals to those who choose to commit treason.

“During hard times when you need to decide who should be your leaders and the person chooses to disappear, don’t trust them,” he says.

The newly installed bishop made the call during prayers at Christ Cathedral Bugembe in Jinja city northern division at which 81 Christians were confirmed into the Anglican Church of Uganda.

He also rebuked elites who are fond of shunning these processes and resorting to complaining after others make decisions on their behalf.

“If the elites don’t participate, others would be making decisions on their behalf and would be complaining, which was not worth it,” he said.

Therefore, he urged all eligible voters to go and cast their vote to decide who will be their president of Uganda, their legislators and local leaders.

The confirmation, which took place in the third service, was attended by Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) Jinja city mayoral candidate Mubarak Kirunda and Chris Blattah, vying for Katende ward at the Jinja northern division.

Equally, independent Jinja city northern division mayoral candidate Muzafaru Bulera turned up with a ball in church.

Meanwhile, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party was represented by assistant Kamuli Resident District Officer Jenipher Kongo, along with former Bugembe town council LC3 chairperson Stephen Wante.

As a norm, Lubaale blessed all the candidates whom he asked to introduce themselves and the positions they were vying for.

Kirunda and Blattah also used the chance to request support for Robert Kyagulanyi, their presidential flag-bearer.

Kongo said she had represented First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs Rebecca Kadaga.

Jenipher Kongo and Stephen Wante during prayers at the catherdal where they represented Kadaga and solicited for the NRM support on Sunday. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)

She solicited support for NRM presidential flag-bearer Yoweri Museveni and Kadaga, saying she was in the right position to keep lobbying for the region.

She said the gains were massive in Busoga, which they needed to protect by entrusting NRM with leadership

Guard your votes, record proceedings- Lubaale

Whereas she also cautioned NUP’s Kalonde, Kakuume and Kalondoole campaign slogans, on the other hand, Lubaale urged Ugandans to guard their votes and ensure that they were counted and announced in their presence.

He also asked them to use their smartphones to record such proceedings to avoid changing results on declaration forms.

“Protect your votes and use your phones to record the counting while you are seeing and announcing the results while you are hearing. The declaration forms should not change when they announce 30 votes at a polling station, and they declare 60 at tally centres, use your phones,” he said.

According to the bishop, the process should be transparent to enable winners go through with no disputes and losers to accept as they waited until 2031 to try their luck since Uganda was not ending.

He concluded while preaching peace, saying they should desist from causing chaos.

He noted that even in the Bible, during the replacement of Judas Iscariot, they cast votes on Justus and Matthias got the biggest number of votes to become their apostle.

He said Justus didn’t stop being a Christian as he continued serving God.

Whereas he is a Muslim, Kirunda told journalists that, being the last Sunday ahead of the polls, they had to seek blessings.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the last Sunday when the bishop is also confirming children; we needed these blessings from the new bishop ahead of the new Uganda,” he said.