Museveni , Lwanga Discuss spying on religious leaders

President Museveni has called the Archbishop of the Catholic Kampala arch-diocese Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga over the latter’s Easter remarks on government and intelligence organs spying on religious leaders.

On Easter, Lwanga reiterated his statement that government is recruiting priests, catechists and seminarians to spy on other religious leaders.

“Let government have courage to call Ntagali (for protestants ), myself or Mubajje (for muslims) and tell us the information they have about ourselves but some of those you recruit have been expelled from church and are only giving you false information. They will lead to your downfall,”Lwanga said during prayers at Rubaga cathedral.

However, according to the senior presidential press secretary, Don Wanyama,Museveni on Monday called the Catholic church leader and held discussions over the issues.

“President Museveni and the Archbishop of Kampala Cyprian Kizito Lwanga have today spoken over the phone and agreed on a way forward,”Wanyama said in a statement on Monday evening.

“The matters will be discussed and resolved in the due course.”

Lwanga, who is also the chairman of the Uganda Joint Christian Council, warned Museveni that if he continues to listen and act on information given to him by some of the intelligence organs in the country, he would soon see his own downfall.

He said no one can stop government from doing intelligence work because it has been in practice all over the world for many years but warned that whoever is recruited should be truthful to avoid tarnishing other people’s names.

On recruiting men of God to spy for intelligence organs, Lwanga said most of those recruited have in the past been dismissed from the church before being contacted for espionage work by government.

“Some of these people (you have recruited) were dismissed by us because of bad record but are shining before you. Your mind is being poisoned to act on that information they feed you,” he said.

“They (intelligence organs) are talking ill about myself, Archbishop Ntagali and other religious leaders. Government thinks religious leaders want to over throw it but this is the humble message I have for the president, you’re recruiting wrong people (for intelligence). They are character assassinating people by telling lies.”

According to the senior presidential press secretary, the president and Archbishop Lwanga will continue discussing the issue and solve in amicably.