President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has described the annual National Prayer Breakfast as a uniting factor among Ugandans.
"In the USA they were doing exactly what we ought to do, the prayer breakfast brings together all people of different backgrounds. I like the approach because it was like our approach during our struggle," the President said.
The President made the revelation today during the 25th National Prayer Breakfast held at State House Entebbe, under the theme, "Fear not, repent and serve the Lord".
The annual event which takes place on the eve of Uganda's Independence Day celebrations (9th, October), is aimed at praying for the country, economy, and families as well as thanking God for his protection, guidance and providence to Ugandans. It is also the day when Uganda's 1995 Constitution was promulgated.
President Museveni, who thanked the Parliament for sustaining the prayer breakfast culture, disclosed that he copied the idea from the United States of America when he went with Maama Janet Museveni to the country for the first time. He said the prayer brought together several leaders in the USA who prayed for their country.
"In the 1960s I was a very active church member; I was the president of the Scripture Union from 1961 to 1965 but along the way, we started disagreeing in the union; one of the reasons was that they were not practising what Jesus told us to do because Jesus told you clearly to love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as you love yourself," the President asserted.
"The problem we were having here was the sectarianism of religion; Christians against Muslims, I said what kind of religious people are these? With NRM doctrine, actually, it's a Christian doctrine we despise sectarianism. Jesus said we shall see them by their fruits. They were misleading our people," he added.
President Museveni further thanked the religious leaders in the country for copying the uniting idea of the National Resistance Movement (government), where they decided to form the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) that brings them together for a common goal irrespective of their religious background.
"This Inter-sectoral approach has helped us a lot, Uganda was a failed state but because these people listened to our message, they decided to go for the needs of our people, not their identity. There are still some people who still push that nonsense but fortunately, that is why you see whenever we go to the general elections, we win in the first round because people listened to our message," he emphasised.
"This message of Jesus is very important- Judge people by their actions, not by their identity and I tell you to stop thinking of politics of identity. That is why I like the prayer breakfast culture; it is a prayer of unity in diversity."
The First Lady of Uganda and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni who prayed for Uganda, thanked God for the blessings He has bestowed upon the country.
"We thank you for the growing spirit of unity we see in Uganda and the region at large. We appreciate our President for his steady leadership. We used our President to stand against the immense pressure from the Western world when Uganda signed the Anti-Homosexuality bill into law," Maama Janet said in the prayer.
"We thank you for the peace and security that we enjoy in Uganda. We thank the great men in the UPDF who sacrifice a lot so that we enjoy the peace we have now," she added.
The First Lady also called for repentance among Ugandans, explaining that the act does not necessarily mean that someone has sinned, but it can be due to a change of mind.
"May we renew our minds for transparency. We should not just talk about it but we should walk the talk," she noted.
The First Lady of Kenya, Her Excellency, Rachel Ruto took the opportunity to thank God for enabling Uganda to hold the 25th National Prayer Breakfast, saying that if believers continue to pray, God answers their prayers.
"We should always ignite these altars so that God continues to answer our prayers," she stated.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Thomas Tayebwa said the prayer with the main focus on repenting is a sign of strength and courage.
"It's a sign of humility that as leaders we have done much but we have fallen short somewhere. We repent in the public for the whole world to see that we are ready to right the wrong," he said.
"We have repented but what are we going to do after here? We should change our ways; we should do what pleases the Lord. The prayer also illustrates that Uganda is a God-fearing Country. We have enough reasons to thank God for giving us the leader and the First Lady who has continued to show us an example of a God-fearing Country."
He also congratulated the three East African countries (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) for winning the African Cup of Nation 2027 Pamoja host bid, saying that the event shall enhance the economies of the East African countries and it will strengthen the East African Federation.
The guest speaker, Congressman Tim Walberg who has been the U.S. representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2023, first congratulated the President and the First Lady upon celebrating their 50th marriage anniversary and commended them for preserving the family values.
"Your Excellency and First Lady Janet, it's so good to see you, I always pray for you. For 81 years, the US has been holding the National Prayer Breakfast; the Republicans and Democrats come together and pray to God," he said.
Congressman Walberg also advised believers to always stand for the values that God created and not to allow to be swayed into ungodly practices.
"Go from the worthless and go for the precious. Over 62 million innocent babies have been aborted in the United States and now we are encouraging it more in the name of healthcare. That is worthless, why do we destroy lives, we who are in government, we should repent," he said.
"The World Bank and US administration is saying to you to go for the worthless but don't turn to them regardless of what they think, move on. God will deliver and save you."
Another guest speaker, Archbishop Dr. Joseph A. Alexander, who serves as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Christocracy- New York informed the congregation that as believers they should fear not because they trust God.
"Fear not because the weapon formed against you by the enemy will not prosper. Serve the Lord and not by just talking about it but put it in action," Archbishop Alexander said.
The Archbishop also assured President Museveni that God is with him, and that is why he has been able to rule the great nation of Uganda exceptionally.
He also underscored the importance of repenting, saying "A repenting heart helps us not to ignore the fact that God is the one who has kept us. Serve the Lord, make room for service."
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Archbishop Alexander also urged leaders to embrace Christocracy, another form of governance based on the Lord.
He explained that Christocracy is the governance of the earth by Christ's legal and authentic representatives to wipe away the tears of billions and fulfil God's desire for those who have waited and continue to wait.
"Your Excellency, I believe that you have done great exploits and then I believe that there are greater exploits to be done and they shall be achieved under your governance," he said.
"Turn the nation and build the resources God has given you to benefit your people. You must establish the domain and make this nation greater. Make laws that turn things around, put structures that build your nation," he further advised.
The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Hon. David Bahati, who is also the Chairperson Organising Committee for the National Prayer Breakfast, said the function is focused on praying for spiritual strength to renew the bond among the Ugandan Brotherhood.
"We believe that God is God, we believe there's no God for Muslims or Christians, God is God, He is Supreme. The prayer helps us to recognize the centrality of God in our affairs," Hon. Bahati said.
"We are here to give gratitude to God for what he has done for us as a country. We confirm today that Uganda is a country that fears not."
The event was also attended by the former Vice President of Uganda, H.E Edward Ssekandi, Ministers, Members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and religious and traditional leaders, among other dignitaries.
