Lokodo Bashes Balokole Churches

State Minister for Ethics Simon Lokodo has turned up the heat on Bakokole churches in Uganda demanding they get registered and even start paying tax.

Lokodo said: “Everyday a new church springs up and it’s totally disconnected from the known churches, Where do these apostles and prophets come from? Where do they train? Someone wakes up in the morning and says they have been anointed to preach the word of God.”

The minister added: “Churches must be coordinated, they have to work in tandem and have a sort of structure and stewardship and belong to something big, and it shames me to say this but churches need to start paying tax.”

Lokodo, who was once a Catholic priest, was talking during a consultative meeting at the Inter Religious Council of Uganda at their offices in Mengo on Monday.

The Mufti Sheikh Shaban Mubajje supported Lokodo saying so many churches are ripping off citizens without remorse.

“There is no religion in the world which teaches theft and approves of cheating, yet many church leaders have been accused of grabbing property from their faithfuls, some have even grabbed their faithfuls wives and husbands,” Mubajje said:

Pastor Charles Tumwine, the publicist for the Born Again Faith Federation concurred with Lokodo saying; “We need to change all this. It’s a shame that some of us are using the holy word to amass wealth while the sheep we are supposed to shepherd are wallowing in poverty.”

Rev Aaron Mwesigye added: ‘Why would you lie to people that they will get blessings equivalent to what they put in the basket? that is completely unlike God.’