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UGANDA: Anglican Archbishop Dragged into Court over Succession Disputes
By Godfrey Olukya
VOL African Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
November 22, 2021
The archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Kaziimba has been dragged into secular court by Christians of Muhabura Diocese in Kisoro District, Western Uganda for alleged failure to handle succession matters in the diocese.
The archbishop is being jointly sued with the Registered Trustees of the Church of the Province of Uganda, Rt. Rev. Cranmer Mugisha the Bishop of the Diocese of Muhabura and Joel Ernest Sendegeya the Diocesan Chancellor. The plaintiffs include one Innocent Ndagijimana and Solomon Rugera Kanna.
According to Chimpreport, through their lawyers of Ngaruye Ruhindi, Spencer and Company Advocates petitioned the Civil Division in the High Court in Kampala.
The High Court has since ordered the Registered Trustees of the Church of the Province of Uganda, Rt. Reverend. Cranmer Mugisha and Joel Ernest Sendegeya to file their defence within 15 days.
The petitioners in the case allege that, whereas under the Church law every diocese is supposed to have a diocesan nomination committee chaired by the Diocesan chancellor, appointed in a manner determined by the diocesan constitution and whose tenure is specified in the diocesan constitution, the respondent have failed, refused or neglected to have a diocesan constitution in place.
Instead, they say, Bishop Mugisha has put in place a diocesan nomination committee with a chancellor with no legal basis.
These added that the current Diocesan chancellor Joel Ernest Sendegeya was illegally appointed as there is no constitution to determine his manner of appointment and tenure.
Sendegeya is said to be planning a meeting of the diocesan nomination committee to nominate names for the next Bishop for Muhabura diocese for consideration and selection by the House of Bishops, which process the petitioners fear, may plunge Muhabura diocese into more confusion.
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