The Bishop of North Kigezi Diocese in Rukungiri District, Onesimus Asiimwe, has been elected Regional General Secretary for East Africa under the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON).
Bishop Asiimwe announced the development during a press briefing held at the diocesan headquarters on Kinyasano Hill in Rukungiri Municipality.
During the briefing, he also revealed that North Kigezi Diocese will hold a thanksgiving service on Sunday, March 15, 2026, to mark the third anniversary of his episcopal leadership. The event will also coincide with a farewell visit by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba.
According to Bishop Asiimwe, his election took place during the Global Anglican Future Conference held in Abuja, Nigeria, from March 3 to 6.
At the conference, GAFCON leaders resolved to dissolve the existing Primates’ Council and replace it with a new structure known as the Global Anglican Council. The decision also signalled a formal separation from the Canterbury-led Anglican Communion, which GAFCON leaders accuse of supporting homosexuality within the church.
The conference attracted 436 delegates from 48 countries, representing more than 180 dioceses worldwide, highlighting GAFCON’s growing influence within the global Anglican movement.
The tensions behind these developments date back to 2003, when the Episcopal Church in the United States consecrated Gene Robinson, an openly gay and non-celibate man, as Bishop of New Hampshire.
Many conservative Anglicans, particularly from Africa, Asia, and the Global South, opposed the decision, arguing that it conflicted with biblical teachings on sexuality. When the Anglican Communion did not take disciplinary action, some leaders felt that the existing structures had failed to uphold traditional doctrine.
During the meeting, delegates also elected Laurent Mbanda as the first global chair of GAFCON. The move is considered one of the most significant structural changes within Anglicanism since the first Lambeth Conference held in London in 1867.
In his new role as Regional General Secretary for East Africa, Bishop Asiimwe will coordinate GAFCON activities across seven countries: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and South Sudan.
“I urge Christians to remain committed to prayer and to stand firm in defending the church’s values and teachings,” Bishop Asiimwe said.