Hon. Janet Museveni, Uganda’s first lady, said the 3rd June Martyrs Day celebrations was a missed opportunity for Ugandans to seek God’s intervention to stamp corruption out of Uganda.
In a letter she authored today, Mrs Museveni reminisced about the events on Monday including choirs and bishops belonging to different religious denominations, as well as believes who trekked from near and afar -all congregating in one place, and concluded that if the country had dedicated the entire session to a matter of national importance such as corruption, she has no doubt that God would have responded to His people’s prayer.
“So, it was a missed opportunity to use the large numbers from both the Catholic and Anglican campuses to enter the gates with our praise and worship and also intercede for our nation. We hoped that God might hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land of corruption.” Mrs Museveni said in the letter.
Bellow is Hon. Janet Kataha Museveni’s letter in full:
Dear brothers, sisters, and all the children of Uganda who call me Maama by choice:
Today, 5th June 2024, I would like to congratulate you all, and Uganda in general, for the beautiful, peaceful, and glorious day on Monday, celebrating Martyrs’ Day and honouring God together. Truly, all the honour and glory belong to Him, as only He deserves it.
First, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my dear sister and friend, Hon. Catherine Mavenjina, who led the Nebbi team in doing such a wonderful job of preparing, coordinating, and decorating the Catholic pavilion and the entire campus. Indeed, as she herself said, it gave us a preview of heaven. We all sat there with all the choirs in uniforms, all the nuns in white, all the bishops in their red robes, and everything looked good and right in its place and time.
Secondly, we were further blessed to see the pilgrims from neighbouring countries with their national flags, showing us that this day is not just a blessing for Uganda alone, but truly a regional blessing.
Thirdly, I could not help but thank God in a special way for the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. God has honoured the cry of his heart and has given him the blessing of seeing Uganda unite and come together in thanksgiving. God does not forget anything, especially those who stand to honour His name. Indeed, as He promises in the Bible, those who honour Him, He also honours them.
Therefore, as those martyrs stood and bravely defended the name of God in the face of danger, God Himself has honoured them for 60 years now. As the President commented in his speech, the Church has united Uganda through God honouring the martyrs and us honouring God in turn. So, countrymen, women, and children, Uganda has so much to thank God for, but Monday stood out in its place alone.
However, after the day was done, as I watched the evening news, I realized we missed an opportunity to pray together as a country. All believers stood on this day. If we had dedicated the entire session to a matter of national importance such as corruption, I have no doubt that God would have responded to His people’s corporate prayer. Afterwards, we could have thanked Him for the spirit of courage and bravery with which He has blessed our country, as the President discussed the heroes we are supposed to celebrate in a few days.
It is time we understand that corporate prayer is a vital key to accessing God’s miracles for the needs of His people. We must stop merely talking about corruption in passing and realize that corruption is a societal curse. We should take God at His word, such as in 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “if My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
What I am trying to point out here is that we missed a wonderful opportunity to pray and use the massive gathering to achieve two goals at once. As a Pastor once said, we must understand that prayer is not just an extracurricular activity. Rather, the body of Christ should indeed place a higher value on the people of God praying together. So, it was a missed opportunity to use the large numbers from both the Catholic and Anglican campuses to enter the gates with our praise and worship and also intercede for our nation. We hoped that God might hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land of corruption.
Therefore, the leaders of churches should lead us to continue to pray seriously. Even though we missed the mark on Monday, we at least used it for thanksgiving. But going forward, we must join hands to pray, and the Lord will forgive us and heal our land.
Janet K. Museveni
FIRST LADY AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SPORTS