Looking at our world with eyes of faith

God, the prophet says, is not fooled when leaders mouth the right words (Good English) and Expensive suits but have corrupt hearts.

By Pastor Andrew Muwanguzi

The corruption in our country has reached alarming levels. One wonders if even the church that should have called out on the corrupt is itself free from corruption.

In so far as the "church" is controlled by humans who by nature are erroneous, there shall always be instances of social ills within this sacred Milieu.

Controversially, those who occupy front seats, take up posts and donate money to church are government officials and other prominent individuals whose sources of wealth are often earned from bribery and other indecent means.

Even though aware of this, Churches still collect these donations both in kind and cash with open hands.

This means that existing efforts if there is any put in place by all the stakeholders to kill this social cancer need to be doubled.

The government and civic society have all admitted that corruption is blocking the economy and compromising our justice system.

While there is this acknowledgement there hasn't been equally a serious demonstration by government and church to rid the country of this scourge.

The 'catch and release' approach, heaping praise on the corrupt and promoting them makes the ordinary man in Kamuli or Busoga question the sincerity of the government to deal with corruption.

Is there no connection between what some journalists are unearthing about the government officials' endemic corruption and their no arrest like in the recent Parliamentary exhibition of the corrupt?

In Micah 7:1-6, the prophet is miserable over the state of his nation. Nobody can be trusted, and people wait in ambush to do violence to each other. This sad and sorry state, Micah says, is because leaders could not be trusted.

They used their power for personal gain. Micah was from the countryside like I am from Kamuli, a prophet who proclaimed God's reproofs to the rich and ungodly leaders of Judah.

Micah, like many of the prophets, champions the poor and the oppressed. With brutal honesty, he communicated a message of justice and mercy.

He cared for God's people with profound compassion. Micah graphically condemns Israel's corrupt leaders and exposes their hypocrisy.

God, the prophet says, is not fooled when leaders mouth the right words (Good English) and Expensive suits but have corrupt hearts.

Political corruption, greed, arrogance was common amongst the men of his time.

They didn't care about the corporate or common good.

Micah says that when leaders lose their way, it is because they no longer see themselves as servant leaders.

They endanger everyone in the organisation or nation. Servant leaders place the interests and needs of their followers ahead of their self interests and needs.

Generally, they value the well-being and development of their followers, building their communities, acting authentically and sharing power.

The premise of servant leadership is that the most effective and influential leaders are those who strive to serve others rather than take control or be in charge.

The servant-leader will continually think about what involves the least damage or pain for the people over whose lives they have power. Servant leaders will value the worth of every person.

The organisation or nation they build will honour the importance of every individual.

The prophet Micah proclaims a message that is especially relevant to the conditions we face in our society and country today.

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Pastor Andrew Muwanguzi is the head of training and leadership development at the National Unity Platform.