Bishop Zac Niringiye, arguably religion's loudest critical voice of President Museveni's rule, used a Muslim Youth convention to launch a scathing attack on religious leaders in Uganda.

The bishop said bishops are refusing to speak out against the Museveni regime's excesses because they have been bought.

"Because Museveni has been giving them cars and other handouts [money] they have all gone silent. It is as if they don't see the wrongs happening in our country. They have been silenced by his offers," said Bishop Niringiye.

Niringiye, the retired assistant Bishop of Kampala, made the remarks that are likely to set him on a collision course with his own side, on Sunday, during the Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly (UMYA) annual Ramadan convention, at Kibuli Muslim Teachers' College.

"I talked about the Bishop [Geresom Ilukor] who went to Museveni to plead for the release of [Mike] Mukula. By pleading for a corrupt man, it put him in the same boat with Museveni who offered to pay legal fees for the corrupt man," Niringiye said.

Canon George Bagamuhunda, the Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, declined an interview yesterday. Anglican Archbishop Stanley Ntagali and other bishops couldn't be reached yesterday. They were all locked in a retreat at Lweza.

In January, Bishop Ilukor, the retired bishop of Soroti, led members of the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) into a Rwakitura meeting, during which they asked Museveni to use his prerogative of mercy to pardon Mukula, who had been convicted by the Anti-Corruption court of embezzling Shs 210m in Gavi funds. He was sentenced to four years in jail but was later acquitted after he successfully challenged the conviction and sentence.

"The reason why Museveni and his team have become bad leaders is because they are continuing to perpetuate injustice. It [injustice] has reached unbelievable levels, [it] is what is ruining this country," Niringiye said. He also criticised the president for continuously defending some of his corrupt officials at the expense of improved services in the health and education sectors.

Enemy of the state:

Niringiye told his audience that because of his outspokenness, Museveni had declared him an enemy of the state, but hastened to add that he did not mind being viewed as one, by the president.

"Because we have come out to speak against their injustices, we have been declared enemies of the state, Museveni has called me so, but of me and the thieves he is protecting, who can rightfully be called an enemy to the country?" he said.

Interviewed yesterday for this story, Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said Niringiye is afraid of his "contradictory" past.

"First of all, it is not the president's word that declares one an enemy of the state. There are provisions in the law that mandate the minister of security and it must be gazetted. I have not seen that gazette; therefore, he [Niringiye] is not an enemy of the state," Opondo said.

Niringiye's activism got him arrested in February. He was at the time distributing the Black Monday newsletter; a publication owned by civil society activists that shines a light on the rampant corruption in government. He claims there was another recent attempt to arrest him. He said that would not stop him from talking about government's excesses.

He spoke of the intriguing experiences of the two-decade war in northern Uganda; the five-year bush war that brought Museveni to power and the huge sums of money that was spent by the ruling NRM party to win the 2011 elections, as some of the factors that forced him to take early retirement from the church.

Niringiye retired as assistant Bishop of Kampala at 58 years, seven years earlier than the official retirement age of 65. He retired at a time when his superior, Henry Luke Orombi, had also announced his early retirement. But much as Orombi stuck to serving the church ministry in his retirement, Niringiye took to activism that now pits him against the state.

2016 Elections:

Niringiye, who led a recent effort to find a single opposition candidate to run against President Museveni in the 2016, told the convention that it is now useless to talk about the 2016 elections. He instead urged opposition forces to mobilise, organise and cause Museveni's exit.

"We must organise well and prepare for Museveni's exit. We can't wait for his term to end because he has failed on the social contract," he said.

Opondo, however, says Niringiye's outbursts are borne out of frustration after government refused to invite him anymore to state house functions where he [Niringiye] previously used to lead prayers.