Barbara Nekesa, the national treasurer of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, has urged religious leaders to include teachings on wealth creation in the gospel.

The struggle against poverty cannot be won without you, the religious leaders, since our people have such a great deal of faith in you. While visiting a group of religious leaders from the Busia area at the NRM secretariat on October 22, 2024, Nekesa said, “As you preach this, please also tell our people to engage in production for both food and money to live happily.”

“As church leaders, I ask you to encourage our people to embrace government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and skilling hubs,” Nekesa stated, adding that a prosperous and empowered populace makes a significant contribution to the growth of the nation.

According to Nekesa, when people are empowered, they can afford to pay taxes that support a number of public and infrastructure initiatives, such as hospitals, schools, and roads.

“We must swiftly shift from a hand-to-mouth mentality,” Nekesa stated.

Using the same platform, Nekesa urged the leaders to refrain from handing out money to the populace, stating that people cannot make money on their own and that, with government assistance, our people should cooperate through SACCOs and associations for their own benefit.

The delegation’s leader, Assistant Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Doreen Nafuna of the Busia district, stated that the goal of their visit was to get suggestions and develop plans for how religious organizations and the government may work together to better the lives of the populace and the churches.

“Our people listen intently to religious leaders when they talk. “They are mindset actors,” Nafuna stated.

Bishop Lawrence Lumu praised the efforts of the NRM government, particularly the preservation of religious freedom and the provision of very stable and peaceful conditions.

We had land, therefore as a church we launched some projects. And with more help, we’ll have accomplished a lot more in five years than we have now,” Lumu continued.