The Shs2.7bn St. Charles Lwanga Kigarama Catholic Parish in Bitereko, Ruhinda North County, Mitooma District
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa has revealed that despite criticism in the public over the decision to construct a church and questions swirling over the sources of funds used to construct the church, most of the money was raised from his friends from the business community.
He said in one meeting that lasted about 30minutes, Shs1.7Bn was raised for the construction of the church.
“It (church construction) will cost us Shs2.7Bn and I heard some people say, you get Government money, you build such a church, just in less than 1 hour, when they (friends) passed home, these people gave me Shs1.7Bn,” Tayebwa said.
He made the remarks during the opening of the Shs2.7Bn St.Charles Lwanga Kigarama Catholic Parish in Bitereko, Ruhinda North County, Mitooma District. The ceremony coincided with the Thanksgiving ceremony held to celebrate 80years of Daudi Bangirana, father to Deputy Speaker Tayebwa.
Tayebwa added that they have the funds to complete the church.
“You don’t see no glasses, and you say these people are in fundraisings, we have the resources to complete it. We have the resources to complete it, so we are completing it, even tomorrow, the contractors are continuing. But we prematurely did this because we had to celebrate Mzee. You would say, why did you call a few, they called themselves, so don’t think you aren’t my friend because I didn’t call you,” said Tayewba.
He further explained that: “When I conceived the idea, I said no, the Lord has given me so much and I said, my wife and I can easily build it, then I told my sister the Speaker and she said, you are lying and said, I am going to support you. I won’t mention how much people supported me with, but when she told me she was going to support me, then my brother Ceaser Mulenga said that no, you can’t do it alone. So, they went and conspired with a few friends, chairman Godfrey Kirumira, Sudhir Ruparelia, Ham Kiggundu, Ponsiano Ngabirano of Capital Shoppers.”
Speaking at the event Speaker Anita Among revealed that she has one term left to serve as Speaker of Parliament, before handing over to her Deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, because there is no reason for clinging onto power.
“As a Deputy Speaker, he (Tayebwa) is one Deputy Speaker who knows what his role is, he is so down to earth and very social. We want to thank you people of Mitooma and we want to request you, that kindly bring back Tayebwa to Parliament. I only have one term to serve, when I finish serving my term, I give to Tayebwa to continue because you don’t need to cling on power; I have one term to go, then I hand it over to him,” said Among.
She added: “We want to thank God that today we are here, out of an idea that was conceived when we sat in Munyonyo 8 or 10 of us and now the church is here. We are very proud of you and Mama for giving us a very brilliant, young and down to earth person in the name of Tayebwa. We also want to thank the people of Mitooma for giving is a leader in Tayebwa, he is a very disciplined leader.”
Bangirana while addressing guests described God as his everything for sustaining him for 80 years as opposed to the 35years his own father lived, when he died and left him with the responsibility of taking over the family.
“I made 80years in July, my father died when he was 35years and I was the first born in the family, so a boy of 18years carrying responsibility, my father had three wives, his brothers carrying all those people, I don’t know how God did it, so that is why I have come to praise the Lord, for He has done great to me. He is a protector of all protectable, He protects even those who aren’t supposed to be protected,” said Bangirana.
His Grace Lambert Bainomugisha, the Archbishop of Mbarara Archdiocese in his remarks called on Ugandans to emulate Deputy Speaker Tayebwa to ensure responsible use of resources entrusted to them in building the kingdom of God.
“This is a call to us to be responsible in our use of resources; in families, communities, in our offices, in our places of responsibility when the Lord has given us resources. As Jesus told them (disciples) to gather scraps, we also need to gather resources there are many out there, those scraps and if we gather them, there will be millions of baskets of those resources. Frugality in our use of resources that the Lord has put in our hands,” said Bainomugisha.